


When it Breaks

by alexandra_emerson



Series: Timeless Series [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Scorpius Malfoy, Dramione Second Generation, F/M, Gay Albus Severus Potter, Hogwarts, M/M, Next Generation, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, POV Albus Severus Potter, POV Scorpius Malfoy, Parent Draco Malfoy, Parent Ginny Weasley, Parent Harry Potter, Parent Hermione Granger, Pining Albus Severus Potter, Scorbus, Scorpius Malfoy & Albus Severus Potter Friendship, Second Generation, Slow Burn, Slytherin Albus Severus Potter, Slytherin Scorpius Malfoy, Teen Angst, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 90,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28935048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexandra_emerson/pseuds/alexandra_emerson
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy (son of Draco and Hermione) and Albus Potter (son of Harry and Ginny) have been best friends their whole lives. No one is surprised when they end up in the same house at Hogwarts. As they deal with the difficulties of growing up, they have to try not to lose their way, their friendship, or themselves. Scorbus spin-off that follows the Epilogue of “Timeless” and completely ignores everything about Cursed Child.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Parvati Patil/Ron Weasley, Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Series: Timeless Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010775
Comments: 37
Kudos: 96





	1. First Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This Scorbus story is a little different because it's a spin-off of my Dramione story, Timeless. The main difference is that Scorpius's parents are Draco and Hermione and he and Albus have grown up together their whole lives before going to Hogwarts. Also, this completely ignores any Albus/Scorpius characterizations from Cursed Child.
> 
> You don't have to have read Timeless to enjoy this story. If you haven't read it, I recommend reading just the Epilogue (which is where this story kicks off) before starting this story.
> 
> James ( 2 yrs), Albus, and Lily (- 2 yrs) are all the same as canon and their parents are still Harry and Ginny. Scorpius and Rose (- 3 yrs) are siblings in this story and their parents are Draco and Hermione. Hugo ( 1 yr) and Nira (- 1 yr) are siblings and their parents are Ron and Parvati. Ages in parenthesis are in relation to Scorpius / Albus, who are in the same year.

**Chapter 1 - First Year**

* * *

_Summer before First Year_

* * *

**Albus Potter**

Albus watched Scorpius scale the wall of the side of the house with all the grace of a panther. When he reached the top, he pulled himself onto the roof in one motion and a moment later, Albus saw his blond head hanging over the roof, smiling down at him. "Your turn," he hissed, trying to keep his voice down.

Albus and Scorpius weren't technically allowed on the roof of his house. Scorpius's parents hadn't forbade it, but that was probably because they didn't know about it. Both boys were sure once they found out, they'd add some sort of wards to keep them from climbing up to the roof. For now, his parents were ignorant of the fact that the boys had spent nearly every night that summer lying on the roof, talking about nothing and everything, whilst enjoying the London skyline.

Albus loved the quiet of these nights, since it was at complete contrast with the chaos at his house. The only thing he hated was getting up there. He carefully climbed up the rain gutter, making sure he had firm footholds on the bricks as he ascended.

Albus knew he looked much clumsier and was considerably slower than Scorpius, but Scorpius was polite enough not to comment on it. If he had been James, he'd already be on his fourth insult by now.

When Albus was a foot from the top, Scorpius reached his hand down and helped him up the rest of the way. Scorpius took off his backpack and pulled out two pillows and several chocolate frogs. He handed two chocolate frogs to Albus before laying his head against his pillow.

Albus followed suit and opened his first chocolate frog as soon as he'd laid down. He flipped his card over and sighed when he saw the wizard on the other side.

"Who'd you get?" Scorpius asked.

"My dad again." Albus pocketed it so he could toss it in the rubbish bin later.

"Again?" Scorpius exclaimed. "He must have a deal with the chocolate frog people or something. We get him more than anyone."

"I don't think he likes it. I heard him telling my mum he wants them to take him off the cards. He's sick of constantly having to sign them. I'd hoped he'd go on to give more details about why he was on the cards in the first place, but he didn't say anything else."

Scorpius and Albus had been trying to solve the mystery behind their parents being on chocolate frog cards since they'd started collecting them a few years ago. The descriptions on the cards were incredibly vague. Scorpius's mum's card made sense now, since she was the Deputy Minister for Magic, but she'd had a card even before she'd gotten that position. There was a line about her "Significant contributions during the Second Wizarding War" that they hadn't been able to get any details on.

Albus's dad's card was even more perplexing. It said he was best known as the boy who lived, had fought in the Second Wizarding War, was critical in the defeat of the darkest wizard of all time: He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and that he was a well-renowned Auror.

When Albus asked his dad about it, he'd explained that the "boy who lived" part referred to a spell he'd survived as a child when a dark wizard tried to kill him, but his mum gave her life so he would live. It didn't make much sense to Albus though, since shouldn't his dad's mum be the one with the card, and not his dad?

His dad was just as vague about his role in the Second Wizarding War as Scorpius's mum was, though all the adults were very open about what the war was about. Albus knew that there were dark wizards who were trying to rid the world of Muggleborns, like his dad's mum and Scorpius's mum, but he didn't know why the adults didn't want to say more about their involvement. It was one of those things Albus assumed they'd tell him eventually, when they thought he was old enough.

Albus and Scorpius had asked James if he knew more, but James just shrugged them off, which made Albus think he didn't know anything more than they did. Even if he did know, he probably wouldn't say anything, since he liked to keep Albus in the dark.

Scorpius hummed in response to Albus's statement and Albus looked over at him and noticed Scorpius was purposely avoiding his gaze.

"What is it?" Albus asked.

"I learned more about the war," Scorpius said in a flat voice.

"You did?" Albus sat up. "Do you know more about my dad?"

Scorpius sighed and continued to look away. "I found out why my father isn't on any cards."

"What?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now," he said brusquely. When he finally looked at Albus, his eyes were sad. "I'll tell you later, okay?"

Albus nodded and laid back down, looking over at Scorpius every so often. They told each other everything, so he knew this must be serious. Scorpius would come around, like he always did, but occasionally he needed time to sort through his thoughts first.

Albus made a bubble animal in his hand and floated it to Scorpius. It was a snake. He watched Scorpius pop it, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips when he turned his head to look at Albus.

"My father keeps telling me to 'think Slytherin thoughts,' tomorrow." At the mention of his father, the ghost of the smirk disappeared from Scorpius's face and his eyes turned sad again.

"Did he give you any more hints on what the sorting entails?" Albus asked, hoping to distract Scorpius from whatever was bothering him.

"None," Scorpius sighed.

"When I have kids, I'm just going to tell them," Albus said. "This is so infuriating."

"I don't want to talk about the sorting," Scorpius proclaimed and Albus nodded. They _had_ talked about it a lot and there wasn't much else to say at this point.

"What do you want to talk about, Scor?"

Scorpius shrugged. "I don't know. You pick something."

Albus went on to talk about the spells he wanted to try as soon as he got to use his wand. Scorpius didn't seem to be listening and Albus guessed he was still thinking about whatever he'd learned about the war and his father. Albus kept talking anyway, since it was all he could think to do to make Scorpius feel better.

After an hour, they climbed down the side of the house and snuck in through the back door. Scorpius made a small fire by hand and told Albus that learning to ignite a fire would be one of the first spells he learned when he had a wand. Albus smiled, so he had been listening to Albus talking after all.

They bade each other good night, and both admitted they probably wouldn't sleep, since they were too nervous about leaving for Hogwarts the next day.

When Albus walked out of the flames into Grimmauld Place, his parents were sitting on the couch talking. Bugger. So much for trying to sneak back into his room.

His mum narrowed her eyes at him. "I thought you were in bed."

Albus rubbed the back of his head with his hand, which was a nervous habit he'd picked up from his dad. "Sorry. I just had to stop by Scor's to make sure we were all set for tomorrow."

His dad smiled. "What is there to plan out? All you have to do is show up and get on the train."

Albus shrugged.

"What have we said about Floo-ing without an adult?" his mum asked.

"Not to," Albus said to the floor. "But it's just Scor's house. I go there all the time. I could make the trip with my eyes closed. But I wouldn't," he added quickly when he saw his mum frown.

She gave his dad an exasperated look and Albus was about to walk out of the room when his dad shifted and patted the spot next to him on the couch. "Come here."

Albus nodded and went to sit next to his dad.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" his dad asked kindly.

Albus dropped his gaze into his lap and nodded slowly.

His dad placed a calming hand on his arm. "It will be the best time of your life. I promise. You'll finally get to learn magic, live in the most incredible castle, and make so many new friends."

"I don't want any new friends," Albus replied in a soft voice. "I already have plenty."

 _Plenty_ , may have been a stretch. Technically, Albus had two friends. Scorpius and Nira, and Nira was his cousin, so maybe she didn't even count. But two was enough for Albus, he didn't feel like he needed any more.

His mum reached past his dad and placed a hand on Albus's leg. "You won't lose your current friends, Al. You'll just add new ones. It will be fun."

Albus looked around, to make sure James wasn't near, then looked back at his mum before voicing his real concern. "What if he gets new friends and I don't? You know I'm quiet, and not good at talking to new people." Albus knew he didn't have to clarify who "he" was referring to. They both knew he meant Scorpius.

His dad wrapped his arm around Albus's shoulders. "Scorpius is not going to drop you, Al. Believe me, friendships like yours don't just break. And I was shy like you, but you're at an advantage. When I started Hogwarts, I didn't know a thing about the magical world. I didn't even know how to get on the platform. It wasn't until I met your Uncle Ron on the train, that I learned about all the Hogwarts houses."

"Really?" It was hard to imagine his dad like that. He seemed so self-assured all the time, and people always wanted to talk to him. To imagine him as a scared, little boy who didn't know anything about the Wizarding World, was almost impossible.

"I was alone when I started, but I met my best friends there, and my wife." Albus's dad turned back to his mum and smiled. "But, it didn't happen right at the beginning. Don't be upset if you feel lost and left out at first. That's normal. With time, you'll find your group and maybe Scorpius will be in it, and maybe not."

Albus looked down again. "I know you want me to find different friends."

His mum reached over again. "It's not that, Al. We love Scorpius, but I think you may depend on him too much. Just keep an open mind. That's all we're asking. And you have more support than just him. You'll have Nira starting next year, and Professor Hagrid, Professor Longbottom, James, Hugo, Molly, Lu-"

"I get it Mum," Albus cut her off. "I have a thousand cousins."

She smiled, then stood and pulled him to his feet. "Off to bed. And I'm going to watch you, to make sure you actually make it to your room this time."

Albus wished his parents goodnight and went to his room. After closing the door, he sighed and sat on the bed. Maybe his parents were right. Maybe he did rely on Scorpius too much. Albus liked to think they relied on each other.

Regardless of what they'd said, if he was given the option to choose his house, he'd make sure he ended up wherever Scorpius did.

* * *

**Scorpius Malfoy**

After Albus had Floo-ed home, Scorpius put out the flames in the fireplace and crept upstairs as quietly as he could. When he reached the landing, he saw his father leaning against the door frame of his and his mum's bedroom, smirking at him. "Did we just miss Albus?" his father asked.

His mum appeared behind his father and was shaking her head with a smirk on her face. Scorpius wondered if they did know about the trips to the roof and just didn't care. He could never tell what his parents actually knew.

His father turned to his mum. "Sometimes, I think we're the ones with three kids and the Potters have two."

"You're forgetting they have Teddy too," his mum pointed out with a mock serious tone. "So both families have three children."

Scorpius shrugged and was about to go back to his room when his father cocked his head into the bedroom, indicating Scorpius should join his parents in there. "You look down, what's wrong?" his father asked, as Scorpius lowered himself onto the chair opposite their bed.

His father looked concerned and a little hurt. It was the same look he'd worn the other night when he'd told Scorpius about his role in the war. Scorpius guessed his father was worried that's what Scorpius was upset about, and he was half-right, but Scorpius rushed to reassure him, desperate to remove that wounded look from his father's face. "I'm just nervous about my classes."

The concern disappeared from his father's expression and he smirked at his mum. "All yours."

She rolled her eyes and sat on the bed, facing Scorpius. "What specifically are you nervous about?"

"I don't know," Scorpius shrugged. "All of it, I guess. First off, how will I know where to go? It's a giant castle. And will I be any good? I've only held a wand once before. And I started looking through my books, but none of it makes sense. What if I'm so bad they kick me out?"

She nodded seriously, "You'll be great in classes, Scorpius. You were always top of your class in primary school. And no one else in your year will know how to use a wand either. That's part of what they'll teach you. As far as getting around, I can help you there."

She went on to describe an elaborate map of the castle and explained why she was pretty sure James was currently in possession of the map. He asked her how he was supposed to get it, if it was in James's dormitory, especially if he wasn't sorted into Gryffindor.

She frowned and his father cut in, "Which you won't be, of course." He and Scorpius shared a smile and his mum rolled her eyes, again.

It was clear that Scorpius's parents both wanted him to be sorted into their Hogwarts house, but if Scorpius had a say in the sorting, he'd choose Slytherin, like his father. Scorpius loved his mum very much, but he adored his father.

In Scorpius's opinion, his father was the perfect wizard and Scorpius wanted to be just like him when he grew up. He was powerful, intelligent, and funny, but not in a flagrant way, like Uncle Ron, who was always looking for a laugh. His father was clever with his humor and a lot of times Scorpius didn't even understand his jokes, but the adults always laughed. His father had an undeniable presence and commanded attention and when he got dressed up, he was especially impressive and seemed almost regal.

This was one of the reasons the talk his father had had with Scorpius the other night about how he'd fought on the bad side of the war was especially devastating for Scorpius. He was having trouble reconciling the wizard he idolized with someone who had dabbled in the Dark Arts.

"Well, I can't do everything for you, Scorpius," his mum responded, interrupting his thoughts. "If you really are a Slytherin," she paused to sneer, "you should have the cunning to figure it out for yourself."

Scorpius refocused on the map and his mind was already racing through the possibilities of how to get it. He was glad for something to focus on besides the sorting and what his father had told him. He wondered if his mum knew this and if that was one of the reasons she'd told him about the map. Sometimes, he thought she'd make a pretty good Slytherin. His father thought so too, but she always scowled when he said so.

Scorpius thanked his mum and hugged both his parents before leaving the room. He stopped in the doorway, trying to work up the courage to ask the question he'd been too nervous to ask before.

"What is it, Scor?" his father asked when he saw him pause.

Scorpius turned around and looked at the ground as he asked, "What if we're in different houses? James says you're only friends with people in your own house."

"I thought you'd learned years ago not to listen to James," his father said.

"He's right," his mum chimed in. She'd crossed the room and lifted his chin so he was facing her. "And it's not true. I met Luna at Hogwarts and she was one of my best friends, but she was in Ravenclaw. If Albus is in a different house, you'll still see him at meals and in some classes. And I'm sure you'll spend every waking moment with him when you're back home, since we've already established he's like our third child."

She gave him a comforting smile and Scorpius looked behind her to his father. "Did you have friends in other houses?"

His father gave his mother an odd look before shaking his head. Scorpius's heart dropped. Maybe being friends with other houses was a Gryffindor thing. Maybe Slytherins kept to their own house.

"But it's different now than it was when I was in school," his father said quickly. "Teddy told me lots of students eat at different tables in the Great Hall and visit other houses' common rooms. That was very rare when we were in school. But, after the war, I think mixing became more common. You and Albus will see each other plenty, even if you end up getting sorted in different houses."

Scorpius nodded, then said carefully, "About the sorting. I'm so nervous about it and just the thought of it makes me want to throw up and I know I won't be able to sleep tonight. Is there nothing you can tell me to help allay my fears? I'd really like to get a good night's rest before my big day."

His mum marched back into her room, patting her father on the chest as she said, "All yours."

His father smirked and placed a hand on Scorpius's shoulder. "That was a very nice try. Ten points to Slytherin." Scorpius's mum huffed from the other side of the room.

"You'll end up exactly where you're meant to be, Scorpius," his mum called to him.

His father bent to whisper in Scorpius's ear as he led him out of the room. "In Slytherin."

"I heard that, Draco!"

His father gave him a final wink before closing the door.

Scorpius sighed and when he returned to his bedroom, he focused his mind back on his plan to get the map. He'd worried about the sorting enough and the last thing he wanted to think about was the other places his mind was taking him, to thoughts of Death Eaters and Dark Lords.

As he drifted off to sleep, his mind kept bringing up images of the ugly mark on his father's arm and the tears brimming in his grey eyes as he'd talked to Scorpius. No matter how many times he tried to replace them with memories of his favorite Quidditch matches, or his plan to get the map from James, or even thoughts of Albus - the dark thoughts wouldn't go away.

* * *

_Christmas Break, First Year_

* * *

**Albus Potter**

James was retelling the story of Albus's sorting for the hundredth time while Albus worked on his Herbology assignment. He was supposed to be explaining the differences between goosegrass, knotgrass, and scurvy grass. So far, he'd managed to draw each plant pretty well, but he was struggling on the essay part of the assignment.

Albus had always struggled with letters and numbers. They seemed to move around anytime he tried to read or write and he had to be immensely focused to make sense of them, which was too hard now with James and Lily being so loud. He put his parchment down and resolved to finish the assignment later when it was quieter.

He focused back on James. "So then it was Albus's turn," he was saying, "he almost immediately started begging the ha-" he cut off, obviously remembering that Lily wasn't supposed to know about the sorting hat yet.

Albus rolled his eyes and picked up his Herbology text and started flipping through the pictures. James thought it was very hilarious that he'd ended up in Slytherin and had guessed, accurately, that the hat had only put him there because he'd asked to be in the same house as Scorpius.

When Albus first put the sorting hat on, it had told him he would do very well in Gryffindor. Albus had asked to be put in Slytherin instead and the hat had taken a very long time to consider his request. It said he would do okay there, but that he wasn't especially cunning or ambitious and would be better suited in Gryffindor.

Albus told the hat he didn't care. He said Scorpius was cunning enough for the both of them and Albus would try his best to be ambitious. The hat had eventually agreed, to Albus's delight, and he'd ended up in the same house as his best mate. He'd asked Scorpius later if anyone else could hear the conversation he'd had with the hat, and Scorpius said no. So Albus knew James was just making his story up.

"I thought students were sorted based on their qualities. Bravery - Gryffindor, Wit - Ravenclaw, you know," Lily cut in. "You can't just ask for a house, can you?"

James was about to respond when their mum entered the room. "James, stop telling the story of Albus's sorting, and I don't want to hear you teasing him any more about being in Slytherin over this break. Lily, you're right. Albus is in Slytherin because he belongs there." She gave Albus a small smile before turning to fix James with a withering glare. Albus smiled when James shrunk in his seat slightly.

After their mum left the room, James stuck his tongue out at Albus, then turned back to Lily and started in on a detailed recounting of all the goals he'd scored in his first Quidditch match of the season. Albus shrugged and went back to looking at the pictures in his book.

Maybe it was pathetic that he'd asked to be put in Slytherin so he could be with Scorpius. He didn't see how it was much different from Scorpius wanting to be in Slytherin because of his father though, and Albus actually really liked Slytherin.

As a whole, his housemates were quiet and serious, like him. The few times he'd gone to the Gryffindor Common Room, there were always multiple people joking loudly and competing for attention. It was like a school version of the Burrow. Albus knew the hat thought he'd be good in that house, but he was happy where he'd ended up.

* * *

Two days into the winter break, Albus's dad returned from a work trip abroad and after dinner that night, he called Albus into his study. Albus was worried that maybe he'd found out about him begging the hat to put him into Slytherin. Maybe the sorting hat had told McGonagall, who had then told his dad. Would his dad try to get him switched back to the house he belonged in? Was that even possible?

When Albus sat in the chair in front of his dad's desk, his dad was smiling and didn't look angry. "You look nervous, what's wrong?" he asked Albus.

Albus looked down at his lap. "Are you disappointed I'm in Slytherin?"

His dad was silent and Albus peeked up and saw that he looked legitimately confused. "Of course not," he said carefully. "I told you over the summer I didn't mind what house you ended up in, and again in the letter I sent after you told us about the sorting. I just called you in here to talk to you about your first term without us getting interrupted by James or Lily every few minutes."

They shared a smile. Albus and his dad were similar. They were both quiet and while the other members of their family were typically yelling or fighting, Albus and his dad were usually just watching from the sidelines, taking it all in. "So tell me, how are you liking it?" his dad asked.

"It's wonderful," Albus said genuinely, before launching into an animated explanation of all the things he loved about Hogwarts. His dad smiled widely and nodded along as Albus described the wonderful food, his favorite parts of the castle (though he had to catch himself from mentioning the map), the professors he liked best, and how he even liked the fact that most of the students didn't want to be bothered with the first years. He liked being left alone, though he admitted Scorpius didn't like that part as much.

His dad smirked and nodded knowingly at that. "What's your favorite subject?" he asked, then winced when Albus said it was Potions.

"You don't like Potions?" Albus asked, confused. "When I told Uncle Draco, he said you were excellent at Potions."

His dad snorted. "That was a joke. Potions was not my best subject. I was okay in sixth year, but it was sort of a fluke. I'm glad you like it though. Severus Snape, one of the wizards you were named after, used to teach the subject. And my mum was very good at Potions, too."

"Really?"

His dad nodded. "And how's the reading and writing? Are you managing to keep up with the assignments?"

Albus nodded. His parents knew he had problems with his reading and there was even a term for his condition, though he never remembered it. When he was younger and struggling in primary school, they'd taken him to specialists to see if there were any potions or spells to help with the problem, but they all said it was just something Albus would have to get used to.

"It's okay. Really," Albus responded honestly. "Scorpius helps me a lot. Whenever we have reading assignments, he'll read them out loud for me. And he corrects my essays. When it comes to magic though-" Albus cut off, suddenly embarrassed.

"What were you going to say?" his dad pressed.

"It's nothing," Albus shrugged.

"Go on, please. I want to hear it."

"Well, I don't want to brag," Albus said cautiously, "but I'm actually really good at spells. Usually in class, when we learn something new, I'm the first to pick it up, even before Scorpius. I mean, I'll never be top of the class, since my essays are awful, but, I don't know, it makes me feel...good. Like I really belong there."

His dad gave him a proud smile. "Good for you, Albus. I'm so glad you're doing well. And you do belong there. You're going to be an excellent wizard."

"Thanks, Dad." He dropped his gaze back into his lap before asking, "And you're really not disappointed I'm not in Gryffindor?"

"I'm really not," his dad said firmly. Then his tone lightened. "But tell me honestly. The sorting hat had difficulty with you, didn't it?"

Albus nodded.

"Was it deciding between Gryffindor and Slytherin?"

Albus nodded again and his dad smirked. "It was the same for me."

"It was?"

"I chose Gryffindor, so that's where it put me. It looks like you chose Slytherin."

Albus nodded a third time. "I'm sor-" He started to apologize but his dad cut him off.

"Albus, please, stop apologizing. It's your life and your school years. If you want to spend them in Slytherin, that's your choice."

"Thanks, Dad." Albus got up to leave and was feeling lighter after talking to his dad. He had been worried his dad was disappointed in him, but after the multiple reassurance he'd just received, Albus was finally starting to believe that he really was proud of him.

His dad stopped him when he reached the doorway. "One more thing. James has a cloak I gave him when he started Hogwarts. Make sure he shares it with you, and please let me know if he pushes back."

Albus had no idea what that meant but was intrigued and couldn't wait to ask James about it. Then, Albus opened his mouth to ask his dad something that had been on his mind for months. At the start of term, Albus had noticed whispers following him around the school as students and Professors pointed out to each other that he was Harry Potter's son.

Even Scorpius had noticed and had suggested they look his dad up in the library. That was when they'd found out more about why he was so famous. Albus already knew he was called "the boy who lived" because he'd survived a dark spell as a child, but the book said he'd survived the killing curse twice. Once as a child and again as an adult, during the Final Battle in the Second Wizarding War. Albus had no idea how he'd managed that, since his mum wasn't there to die for him the second time.

The book also said his dad had been the one to defeat the darkest wizard of all time, despite the fact that many people believed the dark wizard to be immortal. And it said his dad was the most recent owner of the Elder Wand, which was the most powerful wand in the world. Albus couldn't reconcile this impressive Harry Potter from the book with his dad, who had always seemed so normal to Albus.

"Is there anything else, Al?" he asked, when he saw Albus was still standing in the doorway.

Albus shook his head. He couldn't work up the nerve to bring this all up to his dad and resolved to find out more about all this another way. As he walked upstairs to ask James about the cloak, he considered that he was going about this more like a Slytherin, than a Gryffindor. He smirked to himself. Maybe he belonged in that house after all.

* * *

**Scorpius Malfoy**

It was Christmas morning and Scorpius was at Nira's house, where his family always started their Christmas day. The Potters were there too and currently, the kids were all involved in a rather epic snowball fight. Scorpius ducked behind a tree, narrowly avoiding a well-aimed snowball thrown by Hugo. He missed Rose hiding behind a rock and was hit a few seconds later by her, before running to find a new hiding place.

Once everyone was too cold to keep playing, they retreated into the warmth of Nira's house. Scorpius's ears and nose were numb, so he rubbed them with his hands while he waited for the hot chocolate Nira's mum was passing out.

All of a sudden, he felt a rush of warmth on his skin and when he turned around, he saw his father smiling at him. "Looking cold there, Scor. Have they not taught you warming charms yet?"

Before Scorpius could point out that first off, warming charms were pretty advanced for a group of students that had just recently mastered _Lumos_ and second, that he was only allowed to do magic at school, his father hit his palm to his forehead, as if he was just remembering something, then said in a teasing tone. "That's right, you can't use your wand at home… too bad."

Scorpius pushed his father playfully and his father put his hands on his hips. "Tsk tsk. I wouldn't patronize the person holding the wand."

"Can I have one, too?" Albus cut in. He had his hands gripped tightly around a large mug of hot chocolate for warmth but was still shivering. Scorpius's father tapped Albus's head with his wand and he looked immediately relieved. Then the other kids started jumping around, demanding warming charms too. His father took turns passing them out to everyone else, going from youngest to eldest, which put Rose (whose cheeks were flushed a brilliant pink) first in line.

Feeling much better, with a nice warming charm to heat his skin and the hot chocolate to warm his insides, Scorpius took a spot by the fire next to Nira and Albus and listened to all the kids talking about what they got for Christmas.

During James's turn, Scorpius's mind began to drift, and he started looking around the house. He saw his father standing in the hall, oddly still, then all of a sudden, his mum walked past and his father grabbed her arm and pulled her forcefully against his chest. Scorpius saw her start to argue, then his father pointed up. Scorpius couldn't see what he was pointing at from his angle, but assumed it was mistletoe since they were kissing the next moment.

Socrpius looked away from them and saw Uncle Ron and Uncle Harry talking seriously on the side, probably about work. He'd heard his mum telling his father the other day that Uncle Harry had recently caught a very dark wizard who'd been hiding in Germany. Apparently, he'd been tracking him for two years.

Even after learning that Uncle Harry had been the one who ultimately defeated the darkest wizard of all time and ended the Second Wizarding War, he couldn't picture it.

Out of all the adults here, Uncle Harry seemed the least likely, besides maybe Aunt Parvati, to have managed that feat. Uncle Ron was always trying to get a laugh, but he was also the head of the Auror office, so Scorpius could see him defeating a dark wizard. Aunt Ginny and his mum were very scary when they were angry and everyone said they were powerful, so they'd probably be fierce in a battle too. Scorpius thought his father was the most imposing and dangerous wizard in the group, but he had been fighting for the other side, he reminded himself.

Scorpius shook that thought from his mind and focused on the flames in the fireplace. As he watched, he saw a number of colorful shapes appear - a green elf, a red and white Muggle Santa, a gold Christmas tree, and a silver bell. He wondered who had spelled the flames to do this and when he looked around, he saw that no one else had noticed them.

He smiled to himself. Everyone just took for granted that this house was extremely magical. The Burrow was also like that. He loved both houses. Not just because of the magic, but because they were a lot larger than his and Albus's houses, since they were in the country. They also had huge yards and all their neighbors were wizards, so you could fly around both properties without any restrictions. Scorpius's parents liked living in London, but Scorpius wished they could live somewhere like this.

He checked the clock on the wall and sighed. His family would be leaving soon for his mum's parents' house. After that, they'd go to Malfoy Manor to celebrate Christmas with his father's parents. Nira and Albus would be going to the Burrow after this and Scorpius was jealous.

Albus stood up quickly and whispered to Nira and Scorpius, "Hey, let's go to your room, Nira. I want to show you two something." His green eyes were shining with delight and Scorpius was suddenly curious about what Albus was so excited about.

When they got to Nira's room, Albus closed the door and looked back at them, enthusiastically. Scorpius and Nira shared a confused look. "What is it, Albus?" Nira asked.

"I want to show you the best thing I got for Christmas," he said in a low voice, like he was worried about being overhead.

Scorpius looked around, still confused. Where was Albus hiding this gift? He saw Albus reach into the pocket of his jeans and his confusion grew. His best gift fit into his pocket?

"Look!" Albus displayed a chocolate frog card with a flourish and Nira rolled her eyes and muttered, "boys," before leaving the room to go back downstairs.

Scorpius leaned in and saw, shockingly, that it was the Cornelius Agrippa card. He smiled widely and snatched it from Albus. They'd been looking for this card for years. It was the only one needed to complete both of their collections. After talking to Uncle Ron and hearing him say he'd never found the Agrippa card when he was younger, both boys were beginning to believe it didn't exist.

Scorpius read the description, then looked up at Albus and saw him smiling expectantly. "Well, I found it! This completes both of our collections! And I actually found it in that pile of sweets you sent - thanks by the way - so technically, I think it belongs to both of us. We can take turns with it, if you'd like."

Scorpius nodded and handed the card back to Albus. "You can have it. Chocolate frog cards are for kids, aren't they?" He straightened his spine and tried to look serious.

Albus cocked his head in confusion, then pushed Scorpius and he almost fell over, since he hadn't been expecting it. "We _are_ kids, Scor. And do you have any idea how lucky it is to have a complete chocolate frog card collection? I don't know any other kids who've managed it."

Before Scorpius could respond, the door opened and his father appeared in the doorway. "There you are. It's time to go, Scor." He sounded as disappointed as Scorpius felt. Scorpius loved his grandparents, but being in the Muggle world was never as fun as being in the wizarding one, in his opinion. At least he'd get to see Theo and Bennett. They always joined them at the Grangers' for Christmas.

"The Grangers are going to want to hear about your first term at Hogwarts, so get some stories ready - real or made up," he paused to smirk. "It doesn't matter to me. Just keep your gran from asking me about global warming."

He turned to leave, when Albus stopped him, "Uncle Draco," he said in a loud whisper and his father closed the door and looked back at him.

"Yes?"

"Remember what you said? About -" Albus lowered his voice again, "-teaching us spells?"

His father smiled and nodded. The day before, when Albus had been over at Scorpius's house, his father had come into his room and told them he planned to teach them some magic over the breaks. This was against the law, since underage wizards were not allowed to use their wands outside of school, but in magical houses, there was no way for the Ministry to find out about it. They relied on the parents to enforce this rule.

Scorpius's father said it was a tradition in pureblood houses to blatantly ignore the law and give their children an edge by continuing their magical education on breaks from school. Usually, the parents focused on spells that weren't covered in school. His father had told the boys he intended to keep up this tradition, but that it was imperative they not tell anyone.

His father said he knew Scorpius's mum would be livid and would argue it wasn't fair since Muggleborn children didn't get this advantage. He guessed Albus's parents would side with her, though he said it was best if they didn't find out.

Initially, Scorpius had wondered if it was a bad sign that his father was being so blasé about breaking laws, especially given his history. Albus didn't seem concerned about it, though, and reminded Scorpius that his father had said all the purebloods do it.

"Right," his father said seriously, stroking his chin with his hand. "We can start tomorrow, at our house. Hermione is taking Rose to an art museum, so they should be gone for most of the day. Can you get over, Albus?"

Albus nodded vigorously. "But I won't be able to get my wand," he said in a dejected tone.

Scorpius's father shrugged. "No matter. You can use mine."

Albus looked as excited as he had when he showed Scorpius the chocolate frog card and Scorpius almost laughed.

"What spell are you going to teach us?" Scorpius asked his father.

"I've been thinking about that," he responded slowly. "I think we'll start with Albus's dad's favorite spell."

"What is that?" Albus asked.

" _Expelliarmus._ He used it to great effect in the war, on multiple occasions."

Scorpius and Albus shared awed looks. Scorpius remembered his father didn't know that they knew a lot more about the war, and especially Uncle Harry's role in it, than he realized.

He turned to leave then, but paused in the doorway and said to Albus. "Did you know your father was the first person I ever dueled? And I think I was his first partner, too. There was a dueling club in our second year."

"Really? Who won?" Albus asked.

Scorpius's father considered this. "Well...I shot a snake at him, then he alarmed everyone by talking to it. They called off the dueling practice after that. So, I'd say it was a draw…" He shrugged and turned to leave then. "Five minutes, Scor," he said over his shoulder before disappearing into the hall.

Scorpius and Albus shared a knowing look and Scorpius wondered if Albus was thinking the same thing as him. His father said that he and Albus's dad had dueled in school. Had they dueled in any of the battles from the war too? The thought of it made Scorpius sick.

Thankfully, Albus was too polite to say anything about it and he held the Agrippa card out to him. "Do you want this today? For luck? You probably need it more than me. I'm just going to be at the Burrow."

"I told you, Albus. Chocolate frog cards are for kids. You can keep it. I don't care to complete my collection," he added dismissively.

Albus nodded disappointedly, but still treated the card with care as he returned it to his pocket. He shrugged and smiled before heading back downstairs to join the others. "Happy Christmas, Scor. Thanks for giving me my best gift."

Scorpius couldn't help but smile back at him. "Sure, Albus. Happy Christmas."

* * *

_Easter Break, First Year_

* * *

**Scorpius Malfoy**

Scorpius was determined to get to the bottom of what exactly his father did in the war. He was also curious about his mum and wouldn't mind getting more details about her contributions, but that was secondary. It was his father he was thinking of when he had come up with the reckless plan that he and Albus were currently executing.

He was sure there was more to the story and was a little desperate to find some piece of information that would redeem his favorite person in the world. He could not accept that Albus's father had been such a huge hero, while his father had been fighting against him. Scorpius was convinced there was something else going on and that the adults were just waiting until he was old enough to tell him about it. He thought he was old enough now, so he'd made a plan to find out more information about the whole situation.

Their plan was simple: go to the Ministry (a place they'd both visited often, since they had parents who worked there) and sneak into the Archives using Albus and James's invisibility cloak. They'd heard from Madame Pince at Hogwarts that the Ministry Archives were the only place she knew of that had a copy of every edition of the Daily Prophet. Scorpius was sure that, if they could find the issues of the newspaper around the end of the war, there would be articles about their parents.

They arrived at the Ministry through the Muggle entrance and put the cloak on as soon as they entered the phone booth that would take them down into the main Atrium. They crossed the Atrium slowly, trying their best to avoid running into anyone. Scorpius pulled Albus against the wall when he caught sight of his mum and Uncle Ron.

They were several feet away, arguing heatedly about something. Scorpius had overheard his father talking to Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron about his mum's disagreement with them over the new interrogation law. His father said he was on the side of the Aurors but knew better than to say so to his wife.

Scorpius figured that's what this argument was about. It was weird seeing his mum fight with Uncle Ron like this, when just yesterday, they'd been joking together easily. He wondered if it was hard for them to put work aside when they saw each other at family gatherings. Just then, Scorpius's grandfather joined the argument but before Scorpius could get a sense of whose side he was on, Albus nudged him. "Let's go. They can't see us. Remember?"

Scorpius nodded, then realized Albus couldn't see him and hummed in response, shuffling slowly toward the lifts. They managed to get a lift with just one other wizard, but unluckily, the wizard jostled Albus, then jumped back in alarm. "Who's there?" he asked with his wand raised and pointed at the corner where the boys were hidden.

Albus lowered his voice and said in the most threatening tone he could manage, "Unspeakables do not have to explain themselves to other departments."

Neither boy knew exactly what Unspeakables did, that was sort of the point, but they knew they were generally respected and feared and had developed this plan ahead of time, in case someone ran into them. It worked. The wizard nodded and mumbled, "Right, sorry," then shuffled to the other end of the lift and nearly ran out once he reached his floor.

The Ministry Archives were empty, so the boys got a table at the farthest, dustiest end of the room and took a chance on removing the cloak. Fortunately, the Archives were much better organized than the library at Hogwarts and they managed to find the Daily Prophets they were looking for in less than an hour.

They grabbed the Daily Prophet issues from one week before the Final Battle at Hogwarts and one week after. The difference between the papers before and after May 2, 1998 was astounding. It didn't seem like the same paper and Scorpius had to check the title twice to be sure.

The most notable difference was how the paper referred to Albus's dad. In the earlier issues, he was plastered on the front, in a picture that made him look angry, with a title - "Undesirable No. 1." In the later papers, he was seen looking happy, though tired, and all the titles called him "Hero," "Savior," or "The Boy Who Lived Twice."

Both Albus and Scorpius realized quickly the papers from before the war were useless. They piled them and shoved them to the edge of the table before turning back to the papers from after the war. Scorpius scanned the articles about Uncle Harry, and his heart leapt every so often when he saw his mum mentioned, or saw her picture, but he moved past them quickly. He was here for one reason.

Albus was looking through those articles more thoroughly and could catch Scorpius up on what they said later.

"These are mostly interviews and restatements of the facts we already know," Albus mumbled after a while. Scorpius looked over and saw him concentrating hard and remembered reading always gave him a headache. Oh well, there wasn't much to be done for it now. Scorpius focused back on the issue in front of him, then froze when he turned the page.

There it was, a picture of his father, looking very young and very scared (an expression Scorpius had rarely seen on his face). Albus noticed Scorpius's reaction and looked over, hitching his breath, when he saw what Scorpius had found.

Scorpius felt Albus shift to his side but ignored him. His attention was on the newspaper. The header article on the page explained that Death Eater trials were concluded and results of each trial were listed below. Scorpius took a deep breath before focusing back on the blurb about his father.

_Draco Malfoy, the youngest ever Death Eater, was tried yesterday and acquitted of all charges. Since the trail was closed, no one knows exactly why he was released (especially since everyone knows he's guilty), but sources say Harry Potter spoke on his behalf and was the only reason Malfoy wasn't locked up._

_The charges brought against Malfoy were three accounts of attempted murder, multiple accounts of accessory to murder, one account of the use of the Imperious Curse, and numerous accounts of the use of the Cruciatus Curse. Although he will not go to Azkaban, Malfoy will be on probation and closely monitored by the Auror Office for a period of at least ten years._

Scorpius read the article again, but the second time his vision was obscured by tears. He saw blurbs next to his father's about his grandmother and grandfather, but ignored them. He'd read enough.

He jumped up quickly, accidentally clipping Albus on the shoulder, but he didn't pause to apologize. He felt like his entire world was crashing around him and that he couldn't breathe. Suddenly, being several floors underground felt suffocating and all he wanted was to find fresh air.

He tore out of the Archives and didn't even bother to wait for Albus or look around to ensure he wasn't seen. Once he got off the lift, he was relieved to find the Atrium mostly empty, and bolted for the entrance they'd arrived through.

He felt a little better once he was back in Muggle London and took deep, steadying breaths as he walked around without any clear thought of where he was headed.

_Three accounts of attempted murder. Multiple accounts of accessory to murder. Imperious Curse. Cruciatus Curse._

Scorpius didn't know what those curses were, but assumed they were very bad. Why had Uncle Harry spoken up for his father? He was a murderer, or had tried to be.

Scorpius stopped in place and bent over, squeezing his eyes shut as tightly as possible to keep from breaking down in tears. A passing Muggle hit him and told him gruffly to keep moving. Scorpius looked around for a better place to stop than the pavement, and noticed a park he'd often visited with his father when he was younger.

He made his way to a large oak tree and sat on the grass, leaning his back against the trunk and looking out at the Muggles walking around the park. His father had brought him and Albus here a few times after getting ice cream. He'd taught them a game he said he played with Scorpius's mum a lot.

You had to watch the Muggles and guess at the conversations they were having. His father always had the funniest stories and Scorpius remembered thinking that he wished he could be as witty as he was one day. Was it possible that the same man he'd idolized for years had helped kill people?

Scorpius finally broke down at this thought and lowered his head onto his knees as he wrapped his arms around his legs and cried. A few moments later, he felt someone sit next to him and figured it was Albus. He wondered absently how Albus had found him, but heard he was out of breath and guessed he'd run after Scorpius and just recently managed to catch up to him.

Besides the heavy breathing, Albus was completely silent and Scorpius was grateful. Albus always had a knack for knowing exactly what Scorpius needed.

Scorpius was the first one to break the silence. Once he'd gotten control of his crying, he lifted his head and faced away from Albus as he wiped his tears as discreetly as possible. "Did anyone see me?"

"I don't think so. I ran after you, so I didn't get a chance to put the papers back, but they can't be traced back to us."

Scorpius looked over at Albus and saw he was shivering slightly. It was a bit cold, now that Scorpius was paying attention. He'd been too distracted to notice before. It was unlucky that the one cloak they had, couldn't be used in the Muggle world. Scorpius leaned against Albus a bit so they'd each be a little warmer and they were both quiet for a while longer.

This time, Albus spoke first. He sighed and said gently, "I love your father, almost as much as my own. He's an incredible wizard, who obviously made some mistakes in the past, but grew out of all that. I'm sure my dad wouldn't have spoken at his trial and your mum wouldn't have married him, otherwise."

When Scorpius looked at Albus, his green eyes were lined with tears and he could tell by the expression on his face that his words were sincere. Scorpius felt tears flood into his own eyes again and looked away.

Scorpius put his forehead back down on his knees, which muffled his voice when he finally said, "I've never been jealous of you before, Albus." He kept his head down, ashamed by his admission.

He felt Albus wrap an arm around him and sigh. "I'm jealous of you all the time, Scor. You'll get used to it."

Scorpius smiled into his legs. "You're a good friend, Albus."

"So are you."

* * *

**Albus Potter**

Albus and Scorpius were in the library at Hogwarts, trying to finish their Transfiguration assignment which they'd both forgotten about over the break. It was due once school started back the next day.

They hadn't talked any more about what they'd found out about Uncle Draco, but it was clearly still on Scorpius's mind. He was distracted and had a haunted look in his eyes that Albus found heartbreaking.

The first thing Scorpius had done when they'd arrived in the library an hour ago, was look up the Cruciatus and Imperpius curses. Albus had watched him quietly, choosing not to voice his concern that this would only make Scorpius feel worse about the whole ordeal.

"Do you want to know what they do?" Scorpius said in a rough tone, when he finally found the relevant pages in a large, grey tome.

 _Not really,_ Albus thought to himself, but stayed quiet as Scorpius told him anyway. His voice was completely devoid of emotion as he read.

"The Imperius curse is the first of the three unforgivable curses. It is a mind control curse that forces the victim to do the caster's bidding." Scorpius stopped and looked up at Albus and Albus saw his eyes were swimming with pain.

"Stop this, Scor. This isn't helping anything," Albus pleaded.

Scorpius ignored him and looked back at the book. "The Cruciatus curse is the second of the three unforgivable curses. It's better known as the-" his voice broke and he closed the book quickly and Albus saw several tears fall onto the cover.

He didn't want to know the end of the sentence, but Scorpius finished it anyway. "It's better known as the torture curse."

"Scor," Albus started to reassure him, but had no idea what to say next.

"The paper said he'd used it numerous times," Scorpius continued. "So many that they couldn't even list the number." Scorpius's brown eyes were angry and more intense than Albus had ever seen them.

Before Albus could think of something to say, Scorpius got up and returned the book. Albus craned his neck to watch him and his heart fell when Scorpius braced his arms against the bookshelf and dropped his head. Albus wished there was something he could do for his friend, but nothing came to mind.

Albus had been devastated to learn about Uncle Draco's past, too. Finding out that one of your favorite wizards was capable of such evil, was brutal. He couldn't imagine how much worse it felt for Scorpius, who adored his father.

When Scorpius returned to the table, he started in on their Transfiguration assignment as if nothing had happened.

"We need to read chapter ten about the Avifors spell, write a summary at least 12 inches in length, then practice turning a quill into a small bird."

Albus nodded. "Okay. Can you read chapter ten out loud?"

Scorpius sighed heavily. "No. I already read it at home. Can you read it on your own this time?"

Albus looked down at his textbook. As he read the first page, the letters started moving around and he knew he wouldn't be able to manage it now, with Scorpius so on edge right next to him. He closed his eyes tightly to keep from getting a headache. He could read the chapter tonight, after everyone was asleep and it was quiet in their dormitory. It would take him hours to get through what Scorpius could read off in thirty minutes, though. Then, he'd have to do the essay.

"Yeah, Scor. Of course," Albus replied, trying to hide his disappointment.

They worked on their essays and when Scorpius had written fifteen inches, Albus had about three. There wasn't much he could write without reading the chapter. He sighed and put his scroll away, hurt that Scorpius didn't even seem to care, but he knew he had other things on his mind.

"Let's practice now," Scorpius said brusquely, pulling his wand out of his bag.

He motioned for Albus to go first. "I'm sure you'll do it perfectly on the first try, even though you can barely manage to read the chapter," Scorpius drawled, clearly annoyed. It was the first time he'd ever expressed irritation with Albus's unique ability to learn spells quickly.

When Albus had originally explained how the practical parts of their lessons came so easily to him - like how he could feel the right amount of magic to put into each spell, how the proper intonation to use for the incantations made perfect sense to him somehow, and how he seemed to intuitively know the right way to move his wand - Scorpius had been glad for him, a little proud, even.

Albus had been relieved at the time, since he knew how competitive Scorpius could be. He figured Scorpius was okay with it since Albus still struggled with reading and writing. Even though he was very good with the practical parts of their classes, he wasn't a threat to Scorpius's goal of becoming the head of their class.

Maybe now, after what they'd learned about their fathers, the balance between them had shifted and Scorpius was no longer okay with Albus being better than him in this way. Albus tried his best to not let it hurt his feelings and reminded himself again that Scorpius was going through something really hard.

Scorpius was looking at Albus impatiently, waiting for him to try the Avifors spell. Albus took a deep breath and focused on the critical parts of the spell he'd picked out of the chapter while Scorpius had been writing his essay. The incantation, the wand movement, and most importantly, the feeling of the magic coursing through his veins.

As he thought of turning the blue-feather quill in front of him into a bird, he tested the wand movement without applying any magic. He could feel the motion explained in the book was slightly off and decided tipping his wand tip up at the end would likely work best. When he went to perform the spell, he tipped his wand down, instead.

Predictably, it didn't work. He glanced over at Scorpius and saw a flash of satisfaction in his eyes. Albus tried again twice more, with the incorrect wand motion, before giving up.

He turned to Scorpius and shrugged, "I can't do it. Why don't you try?"

Scorpius followed the technique described in the book perfectly, but he only managed to transfigure the quill halfway. Albus suggested he point his wand tip up at the end, and on the third try, the quill turned into a small bird and flew to the other end of the library.

Scorpius smiled for the first time in days. "I beat you," he beamed. "I think that's the first time."

Albus shrugged again and was glad he'd finally found a way to help Scorpius feel better. "Oh well. You can't win them all," he said matter-of-factly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is such a different style than my other stories and it's going to be really hard for me to keep this to just seven chapters, but I'm determined to do it, even if the chapters end up being super long. Thanks to my beta readers, Lancashire Witch and Kimmeh B. They said they typically only like Dramione stories, but were kind enough to stick with me for this story anyway - which is awesome.
> 
> Chapter 2 will be posted Wed, Jan-27, but after that I'm only going to commit to updating once a week (on Saturdays). I was accused of neglecting my family while writing my last story, so I'm trying to get better. It's not my fault they aren't as interesting as the magical world I've invented in my head.
> 
> Oh well, thanks for joining on me for this story. I think it will be fun! You can find me on Tumblr at Alexandra-Emerson.


	2. Second Year

**Chapter 2 - Second Year**

* * *

_Summer Break before Second Year_

* * *

** Albus Potter **

Albus and Scorpius were on the Hogwarts Express, on their way home to start their summer break. They were sharing a compartment with their dorm mates, Merrill Locke and Dalbert Kemp. The train ride had been quiet, just like their room back at Hogwarts usually was when this group of boys was together. Albus liked Locke and Kemp well enough, but they kept to themselves and he suspected they didn't like him very much, though he wasn't sure why.

They both had siblings in Ravenclaw and the two boys seemed to spend more time in that house's common room, than in their own. Albus wondered if they were ashamed to be in Slytherin. Even though the war had ended almost twenty years ago, there were still some lingering prejudices toward the Slytherins as a whole because of all the evil so many of their alumni had done during that time.

This thought made Albus think of Uncle Draco again and he looked furtively over at Scorpius, who was reading a book about Quidditch. Scorpius had been having a hard time ever since they learned about the charges brought against his father.

Albus had hoped, with time, Scorpius would improve, but the truth just seemed to be eating away at him and with each passing day he seemed more and more dejected. Last week, his parents had sent him a new broom for his birthday, but Scorpius had barely touched it, which was extremely out of character for him.

When Albus had surprised him with a birthday cake from the kitchens, he'd shrugged and said he wasn't hungry before going off to the library. Albus couldn't remember a time when Scorpius had ever said no to sugar and he had no idea what he'd need to do in the library, since exams were over.

Albus had tried to get Scorpius to talk to him, but had given up after the first try. When Albus had told him he thought they should discuss what they'd learned at the Ministry, Scorpius had said, "I get why you'd want to keep bringing it all up, since your dad was so wonderful and saved everyone, but I don't want to talk about it. Go talk to James if you really need someone to brag to."

Albus knew it wasn't worth pointing out that that's not what he'd been trying to do at all. Scorpius was clearly hurting and past listening to reason. He threw himself into school and exams and Albus supported him as best he could, but he was worried about his friend, and he missed him.

When the train stopped, Locke and Kemp bid them farewell and a good summer. Albus peered out of the window and saw his mum and Uncle Draco waiting for them. He pulled the shade down and grabbed Scorpius's arm before he could leave the compartment.

"What?" Scorpius asked in a bored tone.

Albus sighed and closed the door with his wand. He'd have to give his wand up as soon as he got home, so he wanted to use as much magic as possible while he still could.

"I want to talk to you before we start our summer."

Scorpius nodded and sat on the seat, keeping his head down. "What is it?" he said in a depressed tone.

Albus took the seat across from him and waited for Scorpius to look up, but it didn't seem like he was going to. Albus sighed. He had no idea how Scorpius was going to respond to what he was planning to say, so he held his wand firmly, just in case he needed to disarm him.

"I've been thinking a lot about your father, and I know you have too. I can tell it's eating away at you and you need to do something about that."

Scorpius opened his mouth to argue but Albus held his hand up to silence him. "Just let me finish. I'm sure there's more to the story than what was reported in the paper. Your father is good, and kind, and caring. He's always the first adult to help any of us kids, and he's obsessed with you and Rose."

Scorpius bit his lip and dropped his head so he was staring at his lap again. "Last Christmas," Albus continued, "remember when we were all cold from the snowball fight? He came over and gave us all warming charms. None of the other adults noticed. He's the only one who had the patience to run hundreds of Quidditch drills with James after he failed to make the team the first time. My own parents lost interest after just a few weeks, but Uncle Draco kept at it all summer and now James is one of the best Chasers in the school - but don't tell him I said so."

Albus saw Scorpius smile into his lap and took it as a good sign and continued talking. "And let's not forget the magic he teaches us outside of school. We both know if your mum found out, she'd be very cross with him, and I doubt that the lessons are fun for him, but he does it anyway, to make us better wizards. I guess, I just mean to say, that your father is always doing little things like that for us. And that doesn't seem like something an evil wizard would do."

When Scorpius looked back up at Albus, his eyes were wide and questioning. "You said I should do something about this," he said in a weak voice. "What are you proposing?"

Albus took a deep breath, then said in a rush. "I think you should talk to your mum. I first thought your father would be best, but I can see how that would be very hard for you. I'm sure your mum knows all the details too, and I think it's important you hear his side of the story."

Scorpius was quiet and didn't look like he was about to hex Albus, so Albus took the chance to reach into his pocket and remove the Agrippa chocolate frog card. He carefully placed it on the seat next to Scorpius. "You can use this for luck. I know you think it's stupid, but, well, it's all I have to offer."

Scorpius stared at him silently, his eyes sad. Albus thought he looked younger and waited for him to say something. He didn't say a word. He took the card and slipped it into his pocket, then picked up his sleeping cat and walked out of the compartment, leaving his trunk behind.

Albus moved to the window and peered through the crack between the window and the shade. He saw Scorpius approach his father but his back was to Albus so he couldn't see his expression. Uncle Draco looked concerned and asked him something. Scorpius shrugged and cocked his head toward the train, then turned away from his father.

Uncle Draco walked toward the train and Albus began busying himself by pulling the trunks down from the top of the compartment. He'd just got the second trunk off the rack when Uncle Draco appeared in the hall.

"What's wrong with Scorpius?" he asked sternly.

Albus looked down at the floor. He didn't want to lie, but he also knew it wasn't his place to say what was wrong with his friend. "Why do you think something's wrong?" Albus asked carefully.

"I know my son. He was off at the end of Easter Break and now he looks worse. Then when I greet him after not seeing him for months, he just grunts rudely. I can tell something's wrong."

Albus kept looking down. "I can't say, Uncle Draco. I'm sorry."

He heard Uncle Draco sigh. His voice was gentler when he spoke again. "Is he okay? Are you two being bullied? Or are you hurt? Did something happen? You can tell me."

Albus shook his head and finally looked up. "It's nothing like that. Just - I'm sorry, I can't say more."

He sighed and looked angry again. "Albus, you need to tell me what's wrong with my son. Now."

Albus set his jaw and lifted his chin. "I can't, Uncle Draco. If I betray Scorpius's trust now, he'll never confide in me again. Then later, if he really is in danger, I won't be in a position to know about it and come to you for help."

Uncle Draco regarded him for a while, then smirked. "For a moment I thought I was back in school, arguing with your father," he muttered.

Albus stood still, unsure if this was meant to be a good or bad thing.

"That was a compliment," Uncle Draco said, in response to his unasked question. Then he sighed and said seriously, staring Albus down with his intense, silver-eyed stare, "Promise me, if he's ever in danger, you'll come to me. Even if it betrays his trust."

Albus nodded. "I promise."

Uncle Draco held his hand out for Albus and Albus shook it. "Right," Uncle Draco said, dropping Albus's hand. He lifted Scorpius's trunk easily and turned to Albus before disappearing down the hall. "Do you think whatever it is will resolve? Will he be okay?"

"He'll be okay," Albus said with more confidence than he was feeling. Uncle Draco looked relieved and gave him a smile.

"Do you want help with that?" he asked Albus.

Albus shook his head. "I'm going to levitate it, before my wand gets locked up."

Uncle Draco nodded knowingly, "We can still have our magic lessons, if you're up for it."

"Of course," he replied eagerly. "Thanks."

Uncle Draco gave Albus one last, sad smile before turning toward the exit. Albus shook his head and thought for the hundredth time how it wasn't possible for that man to have been evil. There had to be some other explanation.

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

Scorpius was sitting on his bed, flipping the Agrippa card over and over in his hands. He was thinking how childish Albus could be at times, but again, Scorpius was holding the card, so maybe he was childish too. But he didn't feel like a child, after what he'd learned.

_Murder. Mind-control. Torture._

He rose quickly and forced himself into the hall. Now was the time to do it. He needed to stop stalling. His father and Rose were at Grimmauld Place and everyone had been surprised when Scorpius said he wanted to stay behind. As soon as he heard his mum would be staying too, to catch up on work, he figured this was his best chance to talk to her alone.

He knocked on her door and opened it carefully when he heard her voice on the other side. She was sitting at the desk at the end of the room, next to the window. Her hair was pulled up and pinned with a Muggle pen and she was chewing her lip, like she did when she was concentrating. Rose did the same thing.

"Hey, Scorpius, what do you need?" she asked, without looking up from her desk.

Scorpius sat on the bed but couldn't make any words come out.

She looked over after a few minutes and must have guessed from his expression that whatever had brought him here was serious. She went to sit next to him and placed a comforting hand on his leg.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

Scorpius had planned what he was going to say, but he just started crying instead. His mum pulled him against her chest and started rubbing his back. After a few minutes, she pushed him away and was studying his face, her eyes filled with concern.

"Are you hurt? Did something happen?" she asked.

Scorpius nodded. He was hurt, emotionally, and something had happened. He'd learned an awful truth about his father. But he still didn't know how to put it into words. He leaned back, out of her grasp, and rubbed his face with his hands while he took deep breaths.

"You can tell me, Scorpius. Whatever it is." His mum's voice was soft and he focused on the feeling of the hand she'd put back on his leg. He considered leaving then, but Albus was right. He had to get answers. He couldn't let this linger in the air all summer.

Scorpius dropped his hands from his face and watched his mum's expression as he said, "I learned exactly what Father did in the war."

She frowned but was otherwise silent. Scorpius continued. "Three accounts of attempted murder, many accounts of accessory to murder, one account of using the Imperius curse, and numerous accounts of torture."

"Oh, Scorpius." His mum closed her eyes and he saw a few tears fall down her face.

Now that he was talking, the words came pouring out. "I loved him. I idolized him. I wanted to be just like him. I know he told me he was on the wrong side of the war, but he didn't give any details. Now, I know why." Scorpius stood up quickly, suddenly unable to keep still. "He used Dark Magic. He helped murder people. He's evil!"

"No! He's not!" his mum said forcefully, jumping to her feet.

Scorpius was alarmed by the sudden intensity of her words and stepped away from her instinctively. When she noticed, she sighed and lowered her voice. "Your father is not evil. He just made mistakes."

"Mistakes?! Killing and torturing people are not mistakes!" Scorpius bit back.

"He didn't kill anyone," she retorted.

"But he tortured them! And you're defending him! What about what you always taught us? That it's never okay to hurt someone else, especially with magic. And he got off without going to jail, all because he's friends with Uncle Harry."

Scorpius crossed his arms and glared at his mum, waiting for her response. She looked wounded, and the expression of hurt on her face was too disturbing for Scorpius to look at. He looked out the window instead.

His mum walked to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder before saying gently, "While all of your facts are technically correct, you're missing some key details. Will you let me explain?"

"Are you going to tell me the truth, or just some half-truths because you think I'm too young?" he snapped, keeping his eyes on the tree outside the window.

She placed a hand on his cheek and turned his face so he was looking at her. Her eyes were brimming with tears. "I'll tell you everything." She let go of him and went back to sit on the bed, patting the spot next to her.

They both regarded each other silently for a few moments and it was clear she wasn't going to start talking until Scorpius sat down. He crossed the room in a few paces and lowered himself onto the bed with a huff.

His mum took a deep breath before she started talking. Her voice was almost completely devoid of emotion as she spoke. "When your father was sixteen, just at the end of his fifth year, his father - your grandfather - was sent to jail for breaking in to the Ministry on a mission from Voldemort.

"Your father, like you, loved his father very much and was devastated when he was taken away. And right after, that summer, Voldemort himself showed up at his house. He punished your father severely for his father's mistakes; though he'd had nothing to do with it. Your father had never been tortured at the time, but he's told me his own torture didn't hurt as much as having to watch Voldemort torture his mother, after him."

A coldness settled in Scorpius's stomach as he imagined his father and his grandmother screaming in pain. He looked away from his mum.

"Can you imagine that, Scorpius? If someone showed up and tortured the two of us, for something we had no part in?"

Scorpius shook his head, keeping his eyes down.

"Voldemort moved into Malfoy Manor, claiming it as his new headquarters. And after demanding that your father become a Death Eater, he gave him a task to kill the headmaster. If he failed, he and his parents would be killed."

His mum placed a hand back on Scorpius's leg. "He was in sixth year, Scorpius. You know a few sixth year students. Can you imagine being tasked with killing the headmaster? And this headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was twice as powerful as McGonagall. Voldemort had set your father up to fail and everyone knew it; your father included. But he had to try. If he didn't, he and everyone he loved would have been killed."

Scorpius felt sick and he wanted his mum to stop talking. But he knew he needed to hear this.

"Your father made half-hearted attempts to kill Dumbledore all year. That's where the attempted murder charges came from, but no one was permanently injured from anything he did. That's also where the Imperius charge came from. He had the barmaid deliver a cursed item so it wouldn't be traced back to him."

"No one was hurt?" Scorpius asked, his voice coming out smaller than he'd meant it to.

"No. A girl accidentally touched the cursed item meant for Dumbledore, but she made a full recovery. And Nira's dad accidentally drank a poisoned meade meant for Dumbledore, but he was also fine. Again, these were half-hearted attempts, just so your father could show Voldemort he was doing something.

"Unfortunately, it didn't appease Voldemort. He grew annoyed and continued to torture your father and his mother anytime he went home on breaks from school. So, at the end of the year, your father got more serious and he did manage to corner the headmaster and disarm him. Your father was alone with him, with his wand pointed at his chest, knowing that if he didn't kill the man in front of him, he'd die. But he couldn't do it. Because he's _not_ a killer."

His mum's eyes were intense as they bored in Scorpius's. "Even with the threat of death, he couldn't do the curse."

His mum paused and looked at Scorpius expectantly. He nodded, unsure what else to say.

"Your father was punished for his failure and the only reason he wasn't killed was because someone else managed to kill Dumbledore that night." His mum stopped to wipe her eyes and Scorpius took the opportunity to do the same.

"That covers the three attempted murder charges and the use of the Imperius curse. The torture-" she stopped to sigh heavily. "Voldemort made your father torture other Death Eaters in an attempt to break him. If your father hadn't gone along with it, he and his parents would have been tortured as punishment, and the people he was torturing would have still been tortured, anyway. It was wrong, what he did, but he was in an impossible situation. Do you understand, Scorpius?"

Scorpius had no idea what he thought or felt. He wanted to run out of the room and fly somewhere very far away. But he also felt glued to his spot on the bed. She still hadn't covered the accessory to murder charges, but after all he'd heard, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear any more.

"Scorpius?" his mother asked, and he realized he'd never answered her question.

"Can you explain the last of the charges?" he asked in an uneven voice, deciding it was best to just get it all over with.

His mum nodded. "The charges about accessory to murder - I've always had a problem with how the Ministry applied those after the war. It implies he assisted in killing people, but he didn't. He was in Voldemort's inner circle, so he witnessed him killing, many times. Per the Ministry, that counts as accessory to murder, because he let it happen. But if your father had acted in any way, he would have been killed in seconds, and the person he had been trying to save would have been killed too."

His mum turned to face Scorpius on the bed and cupped his face in her hands. "That's the truth of it all, Scorpius. Your father did all the things he was accused of. But he had no choice. His only other choice was death."

Scorpius closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and when he did, several tears escaped. His mum wiped them away with her thumbs. "He should have defected. Or become a spy, like Severus Snape. He should have found you and Uncle Harry and-"

"We weren't friends with your father," his mum cut him off. "We all hated each other in school. Everyone your father knew and loved was on Voldemort's side. Would you be able to leave? If all of your family and friends were on one side, and everyone on the other side was an enemy or a stranger? Would you be able to leave your parents behind, knowing they'd probably be killed as punishment for your desertion?"

Scorpius hadn't thought of that. So much of what his mum had pointed out, he'd never considered. The more he thought about his father's situation, the more his head hurt. Also, he didn't know his father and Uncle Harry had hated each other. They were such good friends now, like he and Albus, he couldn't imagine them ever fighting. "Why did Uncle Harry speak up for Father if he wasn't his friend?"

"Because he knew he wasn't evil and didn't deserve to be locked up. Then later, several years after the war, they reconnected and became very good friends."

Scorpius thought about this new piece of information. Surely, Uncle Harry wouldn't have wanted to be friends with his father if he was evil. Uncle Harry was an Auror who hated dark wizards. "It's just not fair," he said eventually.

"What's not?"

"It's not fair that Albus gets to have a hero for a dad, and mine was being controlled by the Dark Lord."

"Say Voldemort," she scolded, then softened her voice. "Please. Only his followers called him the Dark Lord."

"And that's why Father calls him that."

His mother nodded sadly. "It's a bad habit leftover from the war." She stopped to sigh, then continued, "Harry is a hero and he made remarkable sacrifices in order to win the war. And you're right, your father was too busy trying to stay alive to help much. But he became a hero later."

"He did?"

She smiled back at him. "He saved Harry's life once. There was an accident just before you were born. They were in a room together with an explosion of dark artifacts. Harry was about to be hit by something, and your father jumped in the way without a thought, saving him and nearly dying himself.

"And besides that, well, it's probably hard for you to understand, but your father has the means to do anything he wants with his time. But what he's chosen to do is help non-profit organizations manage their finances. It's not a fun or glamorous job, and it pays practically nothing, but he does it to help people. And also because the job is flexible, and he wanted to be there for you and Rose when you were younger."

Scorpius thought of the examples Albus had given about his father and how he was always there for him and his sister, sometimes even more so than his mum.

"Scorpius, I'm really sorry you had to find out about your father the way you did. It should've been us who told you. We thought we had more time, and that was our mistake. Will you forgive us?"

Scorpius nodded, not trusting his voice right then.

"Okay, thank you." They both sat on the bed, quietly. Scorpius was unsure what to say next and assumed his mum was probably feeling the same way.

Eventually, she turned to him and said, "I know you just got a lot of information that will take time to sort through. Please remember that everything is not always as simple as it seems. Not all Death Eaters were evil, just as not all the people on the other side were good. There's evil and good mixed everywhere, and there were victims from the war on both sides.

"In my opinion, your father was one of those victims. And he still struggles with what he was forced to do every day. Just, try not to judge him too harshly, Scorpius."

Scorpius started crying again. Now, he felt bad for his father and how quick he had been to condemn him. His mum wrapped her arms around his shoulder and let him cry into her chest. "I'm sorry," he said eventually.

She tightened her grip on him. "Don't be sorry. You've done nothing wrong. I shouldn't have been so stern with you. I'm just - very protective of your father, of all of my family. I don't like it when people who don't know us pass quick judgements."

His mum thought someone else had told Scorpius about his father. He wasn't about to correct her. "Is that why Blaise doesn't want you kissing Father in public?" Scorpius had never understood this before, but it made sense now. His mother's supporters probably didn't want to see her kissing a Death Eater.

His mum nodded. "But I don't care. I love your father and if I want to kiss him, I will." She propped her chin on Scorpius's head and tightened her grip on him.

They stayed there for a long time, even after Scorpius had stopped crying. He laid against his mum's chest and relished the comforting feeling on her warmth as he sorted through all he'd learned. "Do you have any other questions?" she asked.

Scorpius shook his head and sat back up. "I'm not trying to kick you out," she said with a kind smile. "You can stay here if you want," she rubbed his arms with her hands.

Scorpius shook his head. "It's okay, I'll let you get back to your work."

His mum shook her head, as if to say there was no way she'd get any work done after that conversation. "Thank you for coming to me, Scorpius. And if you have more questions while you think about everything we talked about, please don't hesitate to ask."

Scorpius gave her one last hug before leaving the room. When he returned to his bedroom, he flopped onto his bed and thought about everything he'd learned. His eyes kept drifting to a photo of him and his father on the nightstand and eventually he picked it up and studied it.

It was a picture of his father holding him when he was a small baby. He was bouncing him around and saying something and the look of adoration in his eyes was apparent, even from the grainy photo. Scorpius remembered what Albus had said a few days ago on the train.

" _Your father is good, and kind, and caring. He's always doing little things for us...and that doesn't seem like something an evil wizard would do."_

"You're right, Albus," Scorpius whispered into the silence. "I almost forgot, but thanks for reminding me."

* * *

The next day, Scorpius's father woke him up early and told him they were going for a walk. Scorpius dressed quickly and his father handed him a to-go cup of tea and a muffin when he got downstairs.

They ate in silence as they walked the empty London streets. Scorpius had just finished his impromptu breakfast when they reached their destination. It was the same park he'd run to that day he and Albus had snuck into the Ministry.

His father led them to a tree on the other end of the park and discreetly dried the grass underneath with his wand before taking a seat and spreading his legs out in front of him. Scorpius sat next to him and leaned his back against the tree trunk.

"Your mum told me what you two talked about yesterday," his father said, after several moments of silence.

Scorpius nodded. He'd assumed as much. His father had told him last year that he and his mum had learned long ago the danger of keeping secrets from each other. Scorpius kept his face forward, focused on the lake in front of him as he said, "I'm sorry, Father. I should have come to you directly-"

"No." His father raised his hand to silence him. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's me-" he cut off and Scorpius peeked over and saw tears falling down his father's face. His chest clenched and he looked back at the lake.

"It's me, who's sorry," he finished. "I'm sorry I'm not the wizard you thought I was. Just know-" he paused again to sigh, but Scorpius didn't look over at him this time. "Just know I regret it, every day."

If Scorpius didn't already believe his mum yesterday when she said his father wasn't evil, he would have been convinced now, by the obvious pain in his father's voice.

"Do you have any more questions?" his father asked.

Scorpius nodded, but still kept his gaze forward. "Did Uncle Harry really do everything they said?" Last night, Scorpius had considered that if there was a second side to his father's story, then maybe there was another side to Uncle Harry's, too. Maybe he hadn't been as incredible as the papers claimed.

"Yes," his father responded. "Harry is the most remarkable wizard I know. Not only is he very clever and powerful, but he is incredibly humble and selfless. I see a lot of that in Albus too."

Scorpius finally looked over at his father and saw him watching Scorpius intently. He wasn't crying anymore, but his eyes were still wet. "If you need wizards to look up to, Scor, you're surrounded by some exceptional ones. Besides Harry, there's Ron and Professor Longbottom, who were very impressive during the war. Also, all of Albus and Nira's Uncles - George, Bill, Charlie, their grandfather too, Arthur. All of them were very brave."

Scorpius nodded and looked away from his father again. After several more moments of silence, he leaned against his father's side. When his father wrapped his arm around Scorpius's shoulders, he finally responded. "I'm going to keep looking up to you, if that's okay. Maybe not who you were. But who you are now."

* * *

After their heavy conversation in the park, Scorpius and his father spent the day flying at Malfoy Manor. It was the first time Scorpius had used his new broom and his father was eager to show him all the features. He told Scorpius he'd dragged his mum to six different broom stores around the country to find the perfect one.

Scorpius smiled. This was just another example of why his father wasn't evil. He thought of Albus again and remembered the chocolate frog card still in his pocket.

When Scorpius and his father returned home, Scorpius snuck away and Floo-ed to Albus's house before dinner. The house was quiet and he thought maybe it was empty, but checked Albus's room anyway and found him sitting on the floor, sorting through dragon figurines. There were three piles in front of him and Scorpius wondered absently what they meant.

Albus turned as Scorpius pushed the door open and rushed to his feet when he saw him standing in the doorway. "Oh, hi," Albus said carefully.

Scorpius took the Agrippa card out of his pocket and held it out for Albus. Albus looked at it and cocked his head, then Scorpius smiled for the first time in what felt like months. "It worked."

Albus nodded, unsurprised, then took the card and placed it in his back pocket. "Right. I knew it would." He smiled back at Scorpius and Scorpius threw his arms around his friend.

Albus slowly snaked his arms around Scorpius and patted his back. "Welcome back, Scor."

* * *

** Albus Potter **

Albus, Nira, and Rose were sitting on the grass, talking about Hogwarts while James, Lily, and Scorpius flew fifty feet above them. Scorpius had practiced flying every day this summer, even when the weather was awful, since he was desperate to make the Slytherin Quidditch team this year. Luckily, James and Lily loved flying and were eager to help Scorpius, because Albus didn't like it very much.

He wasn't as bad as Rose and her mum, who were afraid of heights. He could get around just fine on a broom, if the only point was to get from one place to another. He was just too uncoordinated for the quick flying moves, like turning on a dime and diving, that playing Quidditch required.

Nira was similar to him, though slightly better. Both of them would stand in for certain Quidditch positions when their cousins forced them to but could take or leave the game.

"Can you just tell me about the sorting?" Nira cut into his thoughts. "It's not a big deal if I know ahead of time, it's not like it's going to affect the outcome."

"I'm not going to be the first one to give in. Sorry, Nira." He watched Scorpius do a loop around Lily and crossed off _Cusher Maneuver,_ on his list.

In a moment, Scorpius dove to where the group was sitting and dismounted gracefully. Albus would never be able to manage a move like that in a hundred years. "What haven't I tried?" Scorpius asked Albus.

Albus looked at the list. "Just the Droptic Feint and Proskoff Ploy. Everything else you've practiced at least three times today."

"Right," he jumped back onto his broom and was back in the air moments later. Albus saw Rose roll her eyes.

"My brother is such a prat sometimes. You're too nice to him, Albus."

"What do you mean?" Albus asked, as he looked over the list of Quidditch moves again, verifying he hadn't missed any.

"You've been sitting here keeping track of all this Quidditch stuff for hours, even though we all know you hate it, and he can't even be bothered to say 'thanks?' You need to stop letting him walk all over you. Right, Nira?"

Albus frowned. "I'm pretty sure he's said thanks, before."

Nira shrugged. "We all know Scorpius is a bit of a prat. My dad says he gets it from Uncle Draco."

"Hey!" Rose exclaimed. "That's my father you're talking about."

Nira shrugged again. "Your mum calls him a prat all the time."

"Well, I think your dad is a prat," Rose snapped back.

Nira seemed unaffected by the insult. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Let's not forget who's the biggest prat in the family," Albus cut in, trying to ease the tension between the girls. "Much worse than Scorpius, Uncle Draco, or Uncle Ron."

"James," the girls said in unison and Albus smiled and nodded in response.

"Well, back to Rose's original point," Nira said, "I do think it would be a good idea for you to try to make more friends at Hogwarts, Albus."

Albus shook his head and went back to focusing on Scorpius's flying. "I don't need more friends. I have Scor, and then I'll have you."

"But what if Scorpius does make the Quidditch team? Have you thought about that? He'll have new Quidditch friends. And I'm most likely not going to be in Slytherin, so I'll have friends in my own house. What will you do then?"

"I'm not too worried about it," Albus answered simply. "If I get desperate, I can always go to Gryffindor and hang out with James or Hugo."

Nira smirked. "Let's hope you never get that desperate."

Albus marked off _Droptic Feint_ as he watched Scorpius dive under James, then cut to the left and rise back up to his original height at the end. James yelled something to him that sounded like praise and Scorpius waved down at Albus. Albus waved back to signify that yes, he'd seen Scorpius's brilliant move and had captured it on the list.

As Albus continued to watch Scorpius fly around, he felt uneasy, despite what he'd said to Nira. She was right, he would probably get new Quidditch friends next year. Even if he didn't, he'd be busy practicing many nights, leaving Albus alone. He took a deep breath and forced a smile on his face. It wasn't worth worrying about now, he'd deal with it later, if it actually became a problem.

* * *

_Christmas Break, Second Year_

* * *

** Albus Potter **

"Did you know people call us the second generation of the golden trio?" Nira asked.

Scorpius, Albus, and Nira were in her room. Scorpius and Albus were practicing wandless magic while Nira was writing a letter at her desk. She finished her letter and put it in an envelope, then placed it on the edge of her desk before turning to face the boys.

Albus and Scorpius were laying on her bed, facing the ceiling and taking turns levitating various objects around the room as best they could without wands. Now, they were passing a small yellow ball back and forth.

"James told me about a month ago," Albus said in response to Nira's question. "I didn't even realize, until he told me, that they referred to our parents like that."

Apparently, a lot of people thought it was really interesting that the famous Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger had children who were friends with each other, therefore forming a similar type of trio as their parents.

Nira's assumption at the beginning of the year that Scorpius would get Quidditch friends and abandon Albus and that Nira would only hang out with people from her house had proved false. Nira was in a different house, Ravenclaw, like her aunt, but she didn't like hanging out with her housemates as much as Albus and Scorpius. The boys joked it was because she couldn't boss the Ravenclaws around as much.

Scorpius had made the Quidditch team, but he didn't spend time with any of his teammates outside of practices. So the threesome appeared just as inseparable as their parents had been. James told Albus there had even been a small article about it in the Daily Prophet. The brothers agreed that it clearly must have been a slow news day.

"There are two boys and a girl, so that part fits," Scorpius said lazily, almost dropping the ball.

"No romance," Nira pointed out.

They'd just found out Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron used to date. None of them could picture it. "Well, me and you are cousins," Albus responded, as he caught the ball with a burst of magic and carefully moved it back to Scorpius's side. "So if there was going to be any romance," he continued, "it would be between you and Scorpius."

Scorpius looked over at Nira and they both laughed, causing the yellow ball to finally drop on Scorpius's chest. Scorpius sat up on the bed. "Nira fits my mum's role a bit. She's the brainy one and she spends all her time bossing us around."

"Well, I'd be glad to play your mum's role," she responded, unaffected by his jibe. "She's clearly the most sensible one out of the group. And Scorpius, I think you're probably closest to Uncle Harry, since you're the most popular and are sort of the leader, though the only one who listens to you is Albus."

"Does that make me the Uncle Ron of the group? The comic relief?" Albus asked as he levitated a small book off of Nira's bookshelf. "I'm not especially funny. More odd than anything."

"Got that right," Scorpius joked and Albus dropped the book onto his lap. "Ouch!"

"We're not in the same house," Nira continued, ignoring the boys, "and we're not battling evil. So it doesn't really fit."

"We're our own trio," Albus said as he pulled himself up to a sitting position. "Maybe not golden, but still pretty good." He levitated the book Scorpius was holding back onto the shelf.

"You're really good at that," Scorpius said, a little surprised. Albus wondered if maybe he should take another shot at showing Scorpius he was good at spells. Earlier in the year, he'd tried to stop holding back when he practiced with Scorpius, figuring now that he wasn't so upset about his father, he'd be okay with Albus being better at him again, but Scorpius was immediately annoyed.

Albus had gone back to pretending to be bad. It was easier than causing a big riff between him and Scorpius. He didn't mind, anyway, since he was still learning the spells, which was all that mattered to him.

The only subject Albus didn't pretend to be bad in was Potions. Partly, because it was dangerous to purposefully brew potions incorrectly, and partly because he loved the subject so much. Luckily, Scorpius didn't really care about being best in Potions, since he didn't see it as a glamorous subject, like Transfiguration or Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"It's nothing," Albus said quickly in response to Scorpius. "Anyway, are you excited about France?"

Scorpius shrugged. "I don't know. I've never spent that much time alone with my grandparents before. But I'll finally be able to use that French they forced me to learn."

"Well, we'll certainly miss you," Albus said honestly. "Without you, this is just a duo, and Nira just wants to study and read all the time, even though she knows how much I hate it."

"I can hear you, Albus, I'm right here," she crossed her arms.

"You were meant to hear," he snapped back.

"If it was up to you," she retorted, "we'd play with dragon figurines and exploding snap all day like a bunch of five-year-olds."

"You forgot watching the telly," Scorpius said with a smirk. "He's obsessed with that, too."

"Sorry for trying to bring some fun into our lives," Albus said, exasperated. "I don't know why I have to keep reminding you two that we are all kids. Not everything has to be so serious all the time."

"Maybe you are the Uncle Ron of the group," Scorpius said earnestly.

Albus shrugged and smiled before laying back on the bed and looking for something else to levitate.

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

Scorpius's head was whipping around, trying to take in all of the estate as he walked the halls of his family's ancestral castle, located at the top of a hill in the French countryside. "Come along, Scorpius," his grandfather said from the end of the hall. "You can come back later and explore at a more leisurely pace. I want to show you one more thing."

Scorpius could not believe all of this belonged to his family. He knew his grandparents had money, because of Malfoy Manor and the elaborate gifts they gave him and his sister, but he had no idea they owned properties all around Europe and that his ancestors used to live in a castle almost as large as Hogwarts. When he finally reached his grandfather, he opened the doors to a large terrace with a spectacular view of the land surrounding the castle.

Scorpius placed his hands on the stone railing and took in the beautiful countryside. "See that wall, a little crumbled now, around the edge?" his grandfather pointed and Scorpius squinted, then nodded.

"Those were the boundaries of the original town and everyone within it served the Lord Malfoy at the time."

"Were they all magical?" Scorpius asked.

"No. But in that time, there was no statute of secrecy. Everyone knew this castle, as well as the Lord Malfoy and his family, were magical. They relied on that magic to keep the town safe and prosperous."

"And now, it's just the castle you own?"

"We, Scorpius. You will inherit this estate one day. We own the castle and a good portion of the land to the east, there," he pointed to what looked like a vineyard on the left.

"That is all more impressive than I was expecting," Scorpius said, awed. "My father never really explained-"

"I know," his grandfather cut in and Scorpius thought he looked a little annoyed. Soon, his expression was blank again. "Your parents were adamant that you did not know how much money you would one day inherit when you were growing up. It can be a lot for a young child to take in. But you are becoming a man now, and it's time you knew where you came from."

His grandfather turned to face Scorpius and placed his hands on either side of his arms. "The Malfoys are one of the most accomplished and powerful families - not just in Britain, but across the world. It's time you learn what being a Malfoy really means."

Scorpius nodded, unsure what else he was supposed to say. This actually explained a lot. It explained why his grandparents had insisted he and Rose study with a tutor at Malfoy Manor to learn languages and perfect their manners and penmanship. He assumed the heir to an estate like this had to be polished.

It also explained why at Hogwarts, especially in Slytherin, Scorpius had seen people look twice when they heard the name, "Malfoy." He'd assumed they were reacting to his father's role in the war, but this seemed more in line with the flash of admiration that he sometimes saw directed at him.

"Do other people know we have all of this?" Scorpius asked his grandfather.

"Yes. Have you noticed? In school?"

Scorpius nodded.

"You need to be mindful of people who will try to get close to you just because of your power and influence. They will try to use you to get ahead. Those people are not worth your time. This is why I disagreed with your father's decision to keep you in the dark for so long. And it's why he ultimately agreed to this trip. It's important you know your standing in the world, Scorpius."

Scorpius didn't know what to say. The way his grandfather was talking made it sound like his family was royalty. It was so at odds with the image he had of his father. He thought he'd learned all there was to know about his father last summer, but there was still more he'd been hiding.

"I'm supposed to remind you, and I'm sure your parents will do the same, that you have a choice in this. If you don't want to run the estate one day, you don't have to." His grandfather sighed and Scorpius could tell he didn't like having to add this disclaimer.

Scorpius frowned. So much about all of this was confusing. It was clear his father had chosen not to run the estate, but he couldn't imagine why. The luxury of the life his grandparents led was enticing.

"What is it, Scorpius?" his grandfather asked, noticing his frown.

"My father doesn't seem to care about all of this," he said carefully.

His grandfather sighed again, then turned away from Scorpius. "He used to care a great deal. Now, all he cares about is you, your sister, and your mother."

Scorpius got a sense from his tone that this was something that irritated his grandfather. But it sounded like a good thing to Scorpius.

"But your father is still a young man. I have hope that after your mother is Minister for Magic, and once Rose is in Hogwarts, he'll be bored again and will find his way back to the head of the family. And hopefully, stop working for free," he added in an undertone.

Scorpius didn't know what to say to that. He wondered what running an estate like this took and how he was supposed to ever learn how to do it. He also wondered if that was something he even wanted. But as he thought back to that look that he'd seen people giving him that he hadn't properly placed before, the admiration, he thought, maybe, he could get used to it.

Thinking of Hogwarts reminded Scorpius of a question he'd been meaning to ask his mum, but hadn't worked up the nerve to. He wondered if his grandfather would answer it. He'd been pretty open with Scorpius so far. "Grandfather. May I ask a question?"

"Of course."

"I've heard people say that Father sullied our bloodline." His grandfather's eyes flashed with anger. "Can you tell me what that means?"

"Who said it?" the look on his grandfather's face was murderous and Scorpius's mind flashed back to that article in the Daily Prophet he'd read about his father. He wondered what charges he would have seen listed under his grandfather's photo, if he hadn't been too upset by what he'd already learned at the time to look.

"I - uh -," Scorpius started to respond nervously.

"No, of course you won't say," his grandfather sighed and his face went blank again. "Do you know the term, 'Mudblood,' Scorpius?"

Scorpius nodded, his eyes wide. This was a very bad word for Muggleborns like his mum and he was surprised to hear his grandfather saying such a dirty word, since he'd always seemed so proper to Scorpius. His parents had told him the word before he went to Hogwarts and explained what it meant. They'd also told him to avoid anyone who used it, at all costs.

"When they talk of sullying the bloodline," his grandfather continued, facing out toward the landscape, "they are talking of your father marrying your mother. The thought is that her muddy blood has ruined what was previously a pure, pristine bloodline."

Scorpius frowned, trying to understand, "So, they're talking about me? My father is a pureblood, but I'm the sullied one?" It didn't fit with what he'd just learned about other people admiring him for his family name and wealth.

His grandfather nodded. "They are. But they are wrong, obviously. All your father did, by marrying a witch as powerful and accomplished as your mother, was strengthen the Malfoy bloodline. Do not listen to the opinion of fools."

"You believed it though, didn't you?" Scorpius asked, carefully. "Since you were on that side of the war."

His grandfather regarded him for a long time and Scorpius wondered if he was going to scold him for asking such a rude question. Instead, he smirked slightly. "You look almost exactly like your father did at your age, but there is still a lot of your mother in you."

Scorpius had heard this many times in his life. He stood still, waiting for his grandfather to answer his question.

"I believed it," his grandfather said, eventually. "But I was wrong. You're proof enough."

Scorpius smiled and his grandfather smiled in return. "Grandfather, how will I know if someone wants to be my friend for me, or because I'm a Malfoy?"

"That's a difficult one. And it's probably something you'll struggle with your whole life, I'm afraid. I would say-" he paused, as if carefully considering the rest of his words, "-if they accept your imperfections, they are worth your time. If they only want you for your name, they will expect you to be perfect, all the time, and will be obviously disappointed anytime you are not."

* * *

_Easter Break, Second Year_

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

Right before the break, Scorpius had been invited to the house of one of his Quidditch team mates, Hendrick Warren. Initially, he'd declined, since he was content to spend the break with Albus and Nira and all of their cousins. One of his other teammates, Miriam Blackburn, an auburn-haired witch one year ahead of Scorpius who played Keeper for the team, had urged him to reconsider.

She pointed out that he hadn't made an effort to get to know anyone outside the friends he had in his year and that part of the Hogwarts experience was meeting a lot of different types of people.

The main reason Scorpius had been avoiding other people was because he was worried they only wanted to get to know him to either question him about his father's role in the war, or tease him for being the first half-blood Malfoy heir.

"Why do you want me to go so badly?" Scorpius had asked Miriam frankly. "I'm not the only one on the team not coming."

She'd regarded him for a long time, then smirked and said, "No big reason, Malfoy. But it seems everything I'd heard about your family isn't true. I thought you all were bold and natural leaders, but all you do is hide on the sidelines."

She'd turned to leave and he grabbed her arm. "I'll be there," he'd said confidently. She smirked one last time before leaving him alone. He knew she'd just said all of that to goad him into going, but he was suddenly eager to prove to others that he was as impressive as his name suggested. He wanted to show everyone that the whispers about sullied bloodlines were entirely unfounded.

His father was dropping him off today and as soon as they stepped out of the fireplace into Warren's house, his father flinched and swore under his breath. Scorpius wondered if it was because of the cold, eerie feeling of the place. He couldn't help but shiver, even though it was a warm, sunny day. The portraits in the drawing room they'd appeared in were sneering at Scorpius and his father and the room seemed incredibly dark, even though there was light streaming in through the windows.

"Are you sure about these friends?" his father asked in an undertone and Scorpius nodded. Honestly, he wasn't sure. But he'd already said he was coming and didn't want to back down.

When they reached the hall, Scorpius saw Miriam, Warren, and the team's beaters lounging in the sitting room across the hall. Miriam rose and ran to Scorpius, enveloping him in an uncharacteristic hug. "I thought you wouldn't show, Malfoy." Scorpius dug his heels into the rug under him. There was no way he was leaving now.

Miriam quickly introduced herself to his father and his father gave her a challenging look in response, which she returned with a bold glare Scorpius's grandfather would call insolent. Scorpius pulled her back to the sitting room with the rest of his teammates just as his father spotted an adult at the edge of the room.

Scorpius took a seat on the couch next to Warren and watched his father talking to a witch he assumed was Warren's mother. They were sneering at each other and speaking in clipped tones, which didn't seem like a good sign.

After a short conversation, his father broke away and motioned Scorpius over to him. Scorpius was embarrassed and wished his father would just leave him alone. When he reached his father's side, he spoke in a low, urgent tone. "Did you notice that feeling when we arrived? Cold. Wrong."

Scorpius nodded.

"That was Dark Magic."

Scorpius's eyes widened.

"So, you understand why we need to leave. Now."

"No, Father!" Scorpius hissed. He looked back at his teammates and saw them watching them curiously. He turned his back to them. "Please. I'm not going to do any Dark Magic, we're just flying today. None of us have our wands anyway. You know how embarrassing it will be for me if we leave now?"

His father chewed the inside of his cheek, then fixed Scorpius with a stern glare. "The second you hear anyone say 'Mudblood' or 'Blood Traitor,' you turn around and come home through the Floo. I don't care how embarrassed you are. Promise me."

"I know, Father! I'm not going to make the same mistakes you did." His father's eyes flashed with pain and Scorpius instantly regretted his words. "That's not what I meant, sorry. I'm just going to spend an afternoon with my teammates. Maybe Warren's parents do Dark Magic, but he's an okay bloke. Trust me."

"I do trust you, which is the only reason I'm leaving you here. But be smart, and don't forget who you are. Please."

"You're being dramatic, Father. I'm fine." His father patted his arms, then straightened and sighed heavily before returning to the drawing room to Floo home.

* * *

After a few hours of flying, everyone was sitting around on the grass, eating biscuits and talking about their chances of winning their upcoming game against Hufflepuff. Everyone agreed that it was very unlikely. The good thing was, the Hufflepuff team had a lot of sixth and seventh years while the Slytherin team was much younger. So while Hufflepuff may be better now, in a few years all their best players would be gone.

After that conversation was over, Warren turned the topic to Scorpius. "It's weird seeing Malfoy without Potter. I thought you two were a victim of a backfiring sticking charm when you were younger since outside of Quidditch, I never see one of you without the other."

Warren guffawed at the cleverness of his joke and everyone besides Miriam joined in. She was watching Scorpius closely. Scorpius shrugged, unsure what else to say.

Miriam smirked and said with her eyes still trained on Scorpius, "What do you see in that odd wizard?"

Scorpius looked back at her defiantly. "We've known each other our whole lives and he's a very good friend."

"So you know his father well? The famous Harry Potter?" One of the beaters, Seneca, asked.

Scorpius nodded.

"I bet he's disappointed to have such a lame son. He's not especially good at classes, and awful at flying, from what I hear. It must be embarrassing for his father," Miriam said.

"You don't even know him," Scorpius snapped back. "Albus is incredible at Potions. Professor Knightly says he has more natural talent than anyone she's ever taught. And his father is very proud of him."

He glowered at all of his teammates and felt uncomfortable when he saw them smiling at each other. He wanted to fit in and show them that he was a strong, capable wizard, but he wouldn't put up with them insulting his best friend, someone they barely knew.

Miriam's smirk turned into a smile. "So, it seems you're as attached to him as he is to you. I thought it was one way. Noted." She turned the conversation to an embarrassing story about one of her dormmates, but continued to look over at Scorpius curiously every so often, as if assessing him for something.

It seemed like the Albus thing had been a test, but Scorpius had no idea if he'd passed. He remembered what his grandfather had told him in France. _"If they accept your imperfections, they are worth your time. If they only want you for your name, they will expect you to be perfect, all the time, and will be obviously disappointed anytime you are not."_

When they'd been talking about Albus, most of the team had been sneering at Scorpius. Did that mean they weren't accepting his imperfections? Since Miriam seemed pleased, did that mean she was the only decent one in the group? But if she was so decent, she wouldn't be gossiping so viciously.

Scorpius couldn't help himself but laugh at some of the group's funnier comments, though he knew it was wrong to make fun of others, especially behind their backs like this. If Albus was here he'd be extremely disappointed. Albus never talked bad about anyone, not even Professor Binns, everyone's least favorite teacher.

By the end of the afternoon, Scorpius had decided he liked this group. They were a nice change from Albus and Nira. They weren't mean, like he'd originally thought, they just had a different style. It was like the difference between Daphne, Blaise, and Theo, and Albus and Nira's parents. They were all funny, but the Slytherins were just a little harsher.

 _But they only make fun of each other, not people who aren't there,_ a small voice said in the back of Scorpius's head. He shrugged it off. He was just relieved that the group wasn't laughing at him or Albus. And honestly, it was good to be with people who weren't ashamed to voice their dark thoughts.

Albus always made Scorpius feel terrible anytime he made fun of someone or had a rude comment. Albus was just so good. Scorpius added a witty insult to the end of Miriam's story and was pleased when everyone laughed.

" _Be smart, and don't forget who you are."_ His father's voice echoed in the back of Scorpius's mind, but he tried his best to ignore it.

* * *

** Albus Potter **

Albus was at the dining table, looking over his form for selecting options next year. Scorpius insisted on taking Arithmancy and Runes, per his mum's suggestion, but Albus knew he'd be absolutely awful in those subjects. He could barely keep letters straight, then add to that advanced maths and arcane symbols - no thank you.

But he was nervous about taking classes without Scorpius. Not really because of the social aspect, though that was part of it, but mostly because he didn't know if he'd be able to manage the workload without Scorpius's help.

If it was completely up to Albus, he'd take Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. Professor Knightly had told him if he was serious about Potions, he should study Care of Magical Creatures, since so many ingredients came from magical animals. James had been the one to recommend Divination, saying that it was by far the easiest of all the options. But would it still be easy if he had to do all of the reading on his own? Albus wondered to himself.

Just as he was thinking of Scorpius, he heard his name from the other room. Albus strained his ears and heard Uncle Draco's voice. What was he doing here? Albus knew Scorpius was spending the day at Warren's house with a few of his Quidditch teammates, so he hadn't expected him or anyone from his family to come over today. Albus crept into the hall until he could hear Uncle Draco's voice clearly. He was talking to his dad.

"Warren. Have you heard anything from that family?" Uncle Draco was asking.

"It doesn't ring a bell. But I can check on Monday," his dad responded. "Why?"

"I felt fucking Dark Magic as soon as we entered the house," Uncle Draco hissed and both Albus and his dad hitched their breath.

Dark Magic? Albus's dad said all the Dark Wizards in Britain were locked up. Albus thought of the Agrippa card in his room. He didn't give it to Scorpius since he didn't think he'd need it for an afternoon with his Quidditch team, but if Warren's parents were bad…

Albus focused back on what his dad was saying.

"...from what? A recent spell, or a Dark artifact? Or maybe it was just lingering in the house. This house was like that for a while."

Albus looked down at the floorboards under his feet. This house used to be steeped in Dark Magic? Why? Before he could consider it further, Uncle Draco snapped back. "I don't know, Potter. I'm not a Dark Magic expert, I haven't felt it in years." He stopped to sigh. "But I talked to the kid's mother and warned her I was close friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley and that if I heard a hint of anything going awry today, she could expect an Auror on her doorstep Monday morning."

Albus could imagine his dad rolling his eyes. "I just wanted to get the fuck out of there," Uncle Draco continued. Albus had never heard him swear so much. "After getting nothing but sneers from the mother, I told Scor we were going home but he begged me to stay. He said he'd be embarrassed if I made him leave. I almost ignored him and dragged him back home anyway but-"

"You can't control everything," Albus's dad finished for him. "You know what it was like at that age, being accepted is everything. But you can't be there all the time and this is a lesson he'll have to learn on his own."

"Yeah? You would have dropped Albus off at a house brimming with Dark Magic, then left? Is this really the right thing to do?"

"Luckily Albus doesn't get invited to the houses of Dark Wizards," his dad said proudly and Albus smiled inwardly. Typically being bad at Quidditch and unpopular didn't garner him any favor, so this was a nice change.

"Fuck you, Potter." Uncle Draco cursed again and Albus wondered if he swore like this all the time when there were no kids around, or if he was just really upset.

"Anyway," Albus's dad continued, "If it were Albus, I would have left him too. Even though I know it would have been incredibly painful and gone against all my parental instincts. If you push too hard or embarrass Scorpius, he may rebel and that would be much worse."

Uncle Draco and Albus's dad were quiet and Albus shuffled closer to the drawing room and peeked inside. Uncle Draco had his arms propped on the mantle of the fireplace with his head down and his dad had a hand on his shoulder. "To what lengths do you think he'll go to avoid embarrassment? History has shown Malfoys aren't great at resisting the lure of the Dark Arts," Uncle Draco said in a voice so low Albus almost couldn't make out the words.

"He'll be fine," his dad muttered. "This is just one afternoon and none of the kids are allowed their wands."

"He's _twelve_ , Potter." _Thirteen in a few months,_ Albus thought, knowing Scorpius would point this out if he were here.

"A twelve-year-old who spends most of his time away at boarding school. You can't control him, Malfoy."

Uncle Draco lifted his head and nodded to his dad. Albus saw his hair was all messed up and wondered if he'd been raking his fingers through it. Then, alarmingly, Albus heard Uncle Draco ask for him. He jumped back into the hall and pressed himself against the wall.

"Albus? Sure," his dad was saying. "He's just in the hall and has probably been listening to this entire conversation."

Albus blushed and slowly walked into the room. James and he thought their dad must have something that magically amplified his hearing. Their mum said he just had a sense for mischief, though Albus thought James and his theory was closer to the truth.

Albus straightened his spine when he reached the two wizards. His dad was trying to hide a smirk while Uncle Draco eyed him sternly. "You heard everything?"

Albus nodded and looked down at his feet.

"Fine. Then tell me, am I right to be worried? What's the deal with these Quidditch teammates? Are they bad?"

When Albus looked back up, Uncle Draco was rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and biting the inside of his cheek. Albus couldn't remember a time when he'd seen him so fidgety. "I don't know them," Albus said honestly. "And neither does Scorpius, really. This is the first time he's hung out with them outside of practice. But I'm sure he's going to be just fine. He would never use the Dark Arts, I won't let him," Albus added defiantly.

Uncle Draco continued to watch him seriously, then finally smiled. "You're my favorite out of all the kids that aren't mine," he said eventually.

Albus smiled back at him. "You're my favorite out of all the adults I'm not related to."

Uncle Draco smiled, then looked over at his dad. "Potter, can we switch? I'll take this one and you take the one consorting with Dark Wizards?"

Albus's dad pulled Albus against his side. "I think I'll keep the easy one." He stopped to give Albus a stern look. "Even if he does eavesdrop when he shouldn't."

"Can't imagine where he got that from," Uncle Draco mumbled darkly.

Before his dad could respond, Uncle Draco turned to Albus. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something else. I wanted to ask you if you were still having problems with your reading."

Albus cocked his head, confused. "Oh, uh, yeah." He was suddenly embarrassed and his dad, who still had his arm around his shoulder, tightened his grip on him.

"Right, and having someone read aloud to you helps?" Uncle Draco asked.

Albus nodded. "It's much quicker than me trying to read myself," he explained.

"I have an idea to help you. I got Hermione these earrings years ago that read books to her, so she could be reading while walking around. She lost them and we both sort of forgot about them, but she found them shoved under the dresser the other day, probably originally hidden by her damn cat, and I thought of you immediately. Sorry I didn't think of it sooner."

"You're going to give me Aunt Hermione's earrings?" Albus asked warily, trying to think of a polite way to let Uncle Draco down.

"Of course not," he said with a grin. "I can apply the same sort of spell to something more masculine. Maybe a set of earmuffs? Or a hat? Then when you put them on, they'll read to you. You have to link them to every new book, but it's not hard. I can show you how it works before you go back to school."

"That would be amazing," Albus said sincerely, his mind reeling. He wouldn't need to bother Scorpius about reading chapters to him anymore. And he could take the options he wanted.

"That sounds perfect, Malfoy. Thanks," his dad was saying.

Uncle Draco waved him off. "I'll go work on it now. It will give me something to do besides stare at the Floo and wait for Scorpius to return." He turned back to the fireplace, but at the last moment he turned around and pointed at Albus. "Do you remember our promise?"

Albus nodded. "I intend to keep my promise, Uncle Draco. And remember, last time, when you asked me if Scorpius was going to be okay? I said yes, and he did get better. He'll be okay this time too."

Uncle Draco rolled his eyes and looked at his dad. "This one is definitely yours. Constantly reassuring people they're going to be okay."

"I was right that time," his dad pointed out and Uncle Draco snorted.

"Whatever. Goodbye, Potters. I'll send you the reading thing later tonight, Albus."

Once he was gone, Albus's dad let go of him and turned to ask, "What did you promise him?"

"That if Scorpius is ever truly in danger, I'll tell him."

Albus turned to leave, but his dad stopped him. "Does anyone use Dark Magic at school? Or talk about it?"

Albus shook his head. "Not that I've heard, honestly. Though I bet they'd try their best to keep me from finding out," he added thoughtfully.

His dad nodded. "Just be careful, Albus. I suspect as you get older, you may start to hear more about it. I have a lot of experience with the Dark Arts from my job, and I can confirm they can be very alluring. The spells you can do with Dark Magic are incredibly powerful, but they take their toll on the caster, and the price for all that power is never worth it."

"I'll be fine, Dad. And so will Scorpius. He just wants to fit in, but he would never do anything truly bad."

His dad crossed his arms, then asked him thoughtfully, "And what about you? You don't care about being popular?"

Albus shrugged and said lightly, "There is no amount of Dark Magic, no matter how powerful it is, that could make me popular."

His dad smiled. "Being popular is overrated," he said reassuringly.

"I know. James is proof enough of that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I love angst, but have never written parent angst before. This is more fun than I'd originally planned. Also, I hated how Harry was a bad dad in Cursed Child and am determined to right that wrong and make him an excellent parent in this story.
> 
> Thanks to my betas Lancashire Witch and Kimmeh B. Come see me on Tumblr at Alexandra-Emerson. The next chapter will be posted Sat, Jan-30.


	3. Third Year

**Chapter 3 - Third Year**

* * *

_Summer before Third Year_

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

Scorpius was leaning against one of the pillars in the Gringotts lobby, half-listening to his father arguing with a goblin nearby, when someone pinched his elbow. He jumped and looked around confused. He pretended to relax, then when he was pinched again, a few seconds later, he caught the perpetrator by the arm.

It was Miriam, hiding behind the same pillar Scorpius had been leaning against. They both laughed when they saw each other and a passing goblin sneered at them, making them laugh harder.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Miriam asked.

Scorpius cocked his head toward his father. "My father is taking care of some business, then I'm getting new robes. You?" Their Hogwarts letters were still a week off, so there weren't that many students in Diagon Alley today. Scorpius looked around for Miriam's parents, but she appeared to be alone.

Miriam held up an elaborate gold key. "Just getting some money from my vault."

"Can I come?" Scorpius asked quickly, without thinking, then instantly regretted it. He loved riding the underground carts, but his parents rarely visited their own vaults. He only ever got to go with Albus. He'd temporarily forgotten it was rude to ask to see someone's vault.

He tried to backtrack. "I mean, sorry, of course not. I didn't mean to-"

"Sure," she said, lightly. "I don't see why not."

"Are you sure? I know it's rude and I didn't think-"

"You worry too much, Malfoy. Let's go." She turned on her heel and went to the front desk and showed the goblin her key while Scorpius went to tell his father he'd met a friend and was going to hang out with her while his father finished his work. He left out the part about visiting her vault. His father checked his watch and nodded, and they agreed to meet at Madam Malkin's in thirty minutes.

"Where are your parents?" Scorpius asked Miriam, as he followed her and the goblin through the tall doors that led to the underground tunnels.

"How should I know?" she replied, handing her key to the goblin. Scorpius stopped next to the cart and held his hand out for her. She smirked as she took it and climbed into the cart. "You're such a gentleman, Malfoy. Your overbearing parents clearly raised you well."

"My parents are not overbearing," Scorpius retorted as he climbed in after her.

The goblin seemed very annoyed by them. He held his hand out for Miriam's key, then turned to Scorpius. "Will we be visiting your vault too, Mister Malfoy?"

Scorpius started. He didn't have a key for his vault. Maybe he didn't need one because his father had already identified himself inside? Scorpius didn't even know he had a vault. Miriam was watching him carefully and he tried to look nonchalant.

"You probably haven't even seen your vault before, have you, Malfoy?" she teased.

"Have so," he bit back, then he turned to the goblin, "Yes, I'd like to visit my vault," he said authoritatively, trying to imitate the way his father talked to the goblins.

The goblin nodded and turned back around, and the cart started to move quickly. Scorpius was nervous. What would happen if the goblin asked him for a key? He could pat his robes and say he'd forgotten it. Hopefully, Miriam wouldn't tease him about it too much.

In a few moments, they stopped and Miriam hopped out of the cart and waited for the goblin to insert her key into a large gold lock. Scorpius kept his gaze on the stalactites on the other side of the cart, not wanting to be caught rudely looking into her vault. He caught a peek when she was preoccupied with filling a bag with coins and saw it was about the size of the Potters' vault.

When she came back, she paused on the side of the cart and smirked at him. "No hand this time?" she teased.

He shrugged and offered her help again, but he was barely focused on her. This was when the goblin would ask for his key. But he didn't. He just restarted the cart and they traveled to what must have been the depths of the tunnels. Scorpius hadn't been here since he was very young.

He knew one reason his parents rarely visited their vault was because they didn't have to pay for things with coins, like most families. Scorpius had asked his grandfather about this a few months ago. He'd wondered why, if his family was as rich as he said, they never had any money lying around.

His grandfather had explained that very well-off families, like theirs, had accounts set up at all the stores and restaurants they frequented. Then those bills were transferred to Gringotts and were paid from the vaults directly. Scorpius thought that made a lot of sense and was better than carrying large coins around. He asked why everyone didn't do that and his grandfather explained the goblins charged a lot for this service and most families couldn't afford the fee.

Then, Scorpius asked how the shopkeepers knew it was their family and not just someone using Polyjuice Potion. He'd explained everyone in the family had an heirloom they used for purchases, to prevent this type of fraud. Scorpius started to pay closer attention to how his parents purchased things and noticed that his father always presented a ring he wore on his right hand and his mum used a diamond necklace on a braided gold chain.

This was just another example of how little Scorpius really knew. He thought he'd learned so much when his mum told him about the war, but there was still a lot he didn't know - like how to get inside his own vault. The world seemed to grow larger and more complicated with each new fact he learned.

The cart screeched to a halt and Scorpius threw his arm in front of Miriam reflexively, and was met with a snort. He made a mental note to stop trying to be a gentleman around her, since she didn't seem to like it. This was why, when he saw that she was shivering from the cold, he didn't offer her his cloak.

The goblin walked to the vault but luckily, he didn't ask for a key. He scratched his finger on the door and it opened to reveal a large vault, twice the size of Miriam's. The goblin stood at the entrance while Scorpius peered nervously inside. "This is all mine?" Scorpius asked in a whisper.

"Yes," the goblin responded in a bored tone.

"How many vaults do the Malfoys have?" Miriam was behind Scorpius, looking in awe at the treasure piled in front of them. Clearly, she wasn't as worried about appearing rude as Scorpius had been.

"That is the business of the Malfoy family," the goblin snapped back at her.

She looked over at Scorpius and raised her eyebrows at him. It took him a while to catch her meaning. "Oh. Uh, right. How many vaults does my family have?"

"Seven," the goblin answered grudgingly.

"Are they all like this?" Scorpius asked, surprised.

"More or less."

Scorpius walked in and was surrounded by piles of gold coins and other valuables. Unlike Miriam's vault, which was just filled with galleons, sickles, and knuts, this vault contained gemstones, ancient swords and crowns, an entire cabinet of elaborate jewelry that looked way too heavy to be worn comfortably, and several portraits lining the walls. Scorpius wished he wasn't in a rush to meet his father, because he could spend hours searching through this pile of treasure.

He noticed Miriam watching him with a smirk. "You've never seen this, have you?"

He shrugged. It wasn't worth trying to hide it now.

"Are you going to take anything?" she asked. "It would be good to have spending money for Hogsmeade."

"Oh, uh, no." Scorpius looked down, embarrassed, before turning back toward the door.

"Why not?" Miriam grabbed his arm. "This is all yours, you heard him," she cocked her head toward the goblin. "And it's not fair that your parents have been keeping it from you."

"They weren't keeping it from me," Scorpius said defensively. "I know we're wealthy, and anytime I need something, they buy it. I don't need this," he motioned toward the gold around him. "Plus, I wouldn't be able to hide it anyway. I'm getting fitted for robes after this."

"I'll take it," she said quickly. "I mean, I'll hold on to it for you. I'll give it to you once we get back to school. If you want."

Scorpius considered her. He didn't really want to take the gold, but he didn't want Miriam to think he was just some wuss who did everything his parents said. He nodded, then turned to a nearby pile of galleons and picked up as many as he could hold in his arms - around thirty galleons, which would more than double all the money he currently had in his trunk - then helped Miriam fill one of her money bags.

When they got back to the cart, Scorpius asked the goblin, "How was I able to get in without a key?"

"There aren't keys for these vaults," the goblin responded in a bored tone. "Only a goblin can get in. Your father provided the proper identification earlier today."

"What? His wand? Or his ri-"

"That is between the goblins of Gringotts and your father," the goblin cut him off and Scorpius leaned back against the cart. He wondered if the money he took out today would be reported back to his father. Would he get in trouble? It was his money, after all. But, if his father wanted him to have it, he would have told him about it.

Miriam was watching him carefully. "What?" he asked, wondering if he had something on his face.

"You are so sheltered."

"Am not!"

"Yes, you are. You had no idea until today that there was an entire vault overflowing with treasure that belongs to you, you're only allowed to be friends with kids of your parents' friends, and I'm sure there's a lot more about the world your parents never bothered to tell you."

"They've told me plenty," Scorpius retorted. "And I have friends besides people I met through my parents."

"Really? Who?"

"You," he said quickly, but was immediately embarrassed when her eyes widened slightly in surprise. Were they not friends? They'd hung out a few times this summer with the rest of the Quidditch team. And they were acting friendly now. He set his jaw, not about to back down, and eventually she smiled.

"I guess you're right. You don't do _everything_ your parents say." She patted her robes where she was keeping his money. Scorpius nodded and smiled back at her, though he was still nervous about his father finding out about the money.

When the cart stopped, Miriam hopped out before he could offer to help and when they returned to the lobby, his father was gone. Scorpius checked the clock on the wall and saw he had a few minutes to get to Madam Malkin's. He turned to Miriam when they were back outside. "Thank you for your help today. And if you steal my money, I'll hex you," he added with a smirk.

"Right, that wouldn't be awkward, since I have to see you in Quidditch practices every other day. I'll keep it safe. Good luck with the parents. I'll see you in a few weeks, _friend._ "

"Right, friend," Scorpius said under his breath as he watched her leave. He turned toward Madam Malkin's and ran most of the way there, arriving just in time to meet his father inside.

After they got his robes, Scorpius and his dad picked up Rose from his grandparents' house and went to meet his mum for lunch at a café near the Ministry. Rose was going on about Lily and how she was starting Hogwarts and it wasn't fair since they were born just a few months apart, but Scorpius was barely listening.

Was Miriam right? Had he been sheltered? His parents told him all about the war. And his father had just given him his third sex talk. Unfortunately, for both of them, he seemed committed to refreshing it for Scorpius before each school year. So he knew about the important things. It was just understanding money and his standing in the world that he was behind on.

It had been hard, trying to keep up with Miriam, he just wanted Albus back. Spending time with Albus was so easy. He didn't have to constantly worry about saying or doing the wrong thing or looking stupid.

Albus and Nira were in Romania visiting their Uncle Charlie at a dragon sanctuary. Scorpius had begged his parents to let him tag along, but they said they wanted to spend time with him since he wasn't home from school very often.

Albus would be home in a few days and he promised to sneak over to Scorpius's house as soon as he could to tell him all about it. He was supposed to bring him a dragon figurine too. Apparently they sold rare ones in the sanctuary that you couldn't get anywhere else.

As Scorpius thought of Albus, he wondered what he'd think of Scorpius's visit to his vault. He'd probably scold him for taking some money, and he especially wouldn't like that Scorpius had handed it over to Miriam. Albus did not like Miriam, which was fair, since she didn't like him very much either.

"What do you think, Scor?" his father's voice cut into his thoughts.

"What?"

"We're talking about going to a Muggle movie tonight. Are you in?"

Scorpius shrugged and focused back on the food in front of him. "Sure." It's not like he had any other plans, he thought bitterly.

* * *

** Albus Potter **

Albus and Nira were lounging in the hotel room they were sharing with James, Lily, and Hugo. The other kids were flying with their parents, Uncle Charlie, and a few of the dragon tamers, but Albus and Nira had opted out. Both of them were eager to get away from James, who had been especially annoying since he received his prefect badge via owl a few days before.

"I'm so sick of hearing how wonderful James is," Albus was complaining. "Quidditch star, top of his classes, prefect, and one of the witches in my year told me he was fit. Is James handsome?! I've never thought so." He looked pointedly at Nira.

"I'm sure his girlfriend thinks he is," Nira responded noncommittally. Albus had almost forgotten that James had just gotten himself a girlfriend, too. She was some pretty, doe-eyed Hufflepuff who played seeker for her house team.

"You're avoiding the question," Albus turned to look at Nira, but her expression was unreadable. She looked up at the ceiling and paused, as if seriously considering her response.

"It's hard to say, since I've known James my whole life and have always considered him a bit of a prat. But I suppose he is attractive. He's tall, his face is symmetric, he doesn't have any big moles or acne, and he has a nice smile."

"Okay, I get it," Albus grumbled and he picked up the dragon figurine he'd bought for Scorpius earlier that day and started poking it, making it roar.

"Why are you jealous of James all of a sudden? You've never minded him being more popular than you before."

"I'm not jealous," Albus retorted.

"But you are. Clearly," Nira said matter-of-factly.

Albus sighed. "I don't know. I guess I'm sick of being called the most disappointing Potter. And now with Lily starting, we both know she's going to be well-liked. And James is a prefect now - I'll never be a prefect. I just - it's hard to explain."

"You're _my_ favorite Potter," she said kindly.

"Thanks, Nira. You're my favorite Weasley."

"I'm sure you're Scorpius's favorite Potter, too."

Albus scowled. Nira leaned forward on her chair so she could see him better. "What's going on with you two?"

Albus continued to look down at the dragon and stayed silent. He didn't know what was going on with Scorpius and him. Sometimes, when they hung out, it was just like normal and they got on just as easily as they always had. But other times, Scorpius seemed perpetually annoyed with Albus and Albus had no idea why. He sort of wished he could cast a spell on Scorpius to check his mood so he could avoid him on the days when he didn't seem to want Albus around.

Nira went to join Albus on the bed. She laid on her stomach and picked up the Hungarian Horntail figurine and pretended to fight with the Night Viper dragon in Albus's hand. Albus smiled when the dragon in his hand spit a purple ball of flame at the Horntail. "You know that story we just heard, about your dad fighting one of these?" Nira said softly. "That was remarkable."

Albus nodded. He wished he could have seen that. But with all the detail Uncle Ron had gone into when telling the story, it was almost like he'd been there. As he pictured his dad flying around the dragon on his broom, narrowly avoiding both its flames and its spiked tail, he frowned when the image reminded him of James. Nira nudged his side. "But that next task they described, the one in the lake, that one was my favorite."

"Really?" After explaining the dragon task, Uncle Ron had gone on to explain the remaining two tasks his dad had participated in during the Triwizard Tournament. The lake task wasn't as exciting as the dragon one. All his dad had done was eat a plant, then swim to the bottom of the lake to rescue Uncle Ron. He ended up losing the task, since he'd tried to save everyone at the bottom of the lake and was the last contestant to return.

"That second task reminded me of you, Albus. Maybe James could fly around and get an egg from a dragon, but in that second task, he would have saved his person, then rushed to the top. You would have stayed behind, like your dad did." Albus looked over at her and saw she was staring at him intently. "You're remarkable too, Albus. Maybe not in the ways that make people popular during Hogwarts, but that's just seven years of our lives. Try not to forget that."

"Thanks, Nira," Albus smiled. "I needed to hear that."

"Are you going to tell Scorpius? Those stories about your dad?" she asked nonchalantly. Albus sighed. He should have known she wouldn't let that topic drop so quickly.

"You know he won't want to hear those," he said in a resigned voice.

"Is he still sensitive about his father?"

Albus nodded.

"I'm worried about him," she continued, playing with the Hungarian Horntail in her hand. "Those Slytherins he hangs out with are mean. Can't you talk to him?"

"I've tried. Why don't you talk to him?"

"If he doesn't listen to you, he certainly won't listen to me. Just-" she sighed, "-keep an eye on him this year."

"I plan to."

Aunt Parvati knocked on their door then. "Come along. It's almost dusk. Let's see this spectacular midnight dragon."

"It's a Night Viper Dragon, the rarest dragon in the world," Albus corrected as he jumped up from the bed. Uncle Charlie said they might have a chance of seeing it tonight, since it was a full moon, but had made no promises. Albus grabbed the dragon figurine of that very dragon from the bed and pocketed it before following Nira and her mother out of the room.

* * *

After two hours of looking out for the Night Viper Dragon, everyone gave up on trying to catch a glimpse of it, but Albus stayed behind, watching carefully from behind the magical barrier. After another hour of sitting as still as possible, he saw a dark figure approach the pile of meat Uncle Charlie had set out to lure the dragon into the sanctuary.

Albus could barely make it out, then it began to glow with a faint, purple light and Albus could make out the lean figure of a dragon, about half as small as the others he'd seen during his visit. He held his breath as he watched the dragon eat. He couldn't believe he was seeing the rarest dragon in the world.

It was only there for a few moments, then it turned almost invisible again and he saw it shoot a ball of purple flame at a bush, just like his figurine had. Albus jumped and in the next moment, the dragon was gone. He whipped around to tell someone, before remembering he was completely alone. He shrugged and continued to smile widely. Albus didn't need to tell anyone else to enjoy this. He sort of liked the idea of keeping it to himself, and he could tell Scorpius once he got back home.

On his way back to the main hall, he met James on the path. "Did you see it?" James asked eagerly.

Albus shook his head. The two boys walked along the path in silence, then James said out of nowhere, "Nitwit, blubber, oddment...what's the other one?"

"Tweak," Albus said automatically before throwing his hand over his mouth. "Shite."

"I knew it!" James turned and shoved his finger into Albus's chest.

Albus turned away, shaking his head at his stupidity. James had just rattled off one of the passwords to a secret passageway at Hogwarts between a green and gold tapestry that provided a shortcut between the third floor east corridor and the seventh floor east tower. It was on the Marauder's map and now, James knew where his map had disappeared to. When Albus looked back at James warily, he saw that he didn't look angry, but impressed.

"You've had it this whole time?" James asked.

Albus shrugged noncommittally.

"Obviously you're going to give it back," James pressed.

Albus lifted his chin, defiantly. "We should share it, just like the cloak."

James regarded him, then nodded slowly. "I've searched your room for it before," he said as he continued walking down the path. "But I guess you gave it to Scorpius during breaks."

Albus nodded again.

"How did you get it?"

"I'm not saying."

"How did you know how it works?"

Albus shook his head.

James laughed. "I underestimated you, Al."

Just then, James pushed Albus hard and Albus caught himself from slamming into the ground with a burst of magic. He struggled to maintain his balance, then turned to James, angry. "Bloody hell? What was that for?"

James was studying him with an odd expression. "If you'd just pushed me like that, I wouldn't have been able to cast a spell powerful enough to save myself that quickly. Not without a wand. I'd expect someone with instincts like that to excel in classes, but you don't do well at all."

"You know I have problems with my reading," Albus said in a small voice.

"I think it's something else." Albus wondered if James had guessed the real reason Albus hid his talent in school.

"Tell me honestly, did you see the Night Viper?" James asked with a smirk.

Albus sighed. James knew him too well. "I did."

"And you weren't going to tell me? Why not?"

"I don't know," Albus responded honestly.

"I don't understand you, Al. You could be so great, but you hold back."

Albus shrugged. "I don't need everyone to know how great I am. I'm not like you," he added sharply.

James just smirked at him. He seemed to be in a very good mood and Albus wondered if he was still on a high after being made prefect. When they got back, James stopped and turned to Albus before going in through the main doors. "I get the map for the first month since I've been without it for so long. Tell Scorpius to get it ready for me."

"I can't believe I fell for that trick."

James grinned. "I guess it's not just Slytherins who can be cunning." He looked very pleased with himself and Albus watched him straighten his spine and stick his chest out. He rolled his eyes. It looked like obnoxious James was back and the nice, sincere one was gone; disappearing just as suddenly as the dragon had earlier.

* * *

_Christmas Break, Third Year_

* * *

** Albus Potter **

Albus kept looking up at Scorpius, who was watching the passing landscape out of the window of the train, then back down at his textbook. He was wearing the earmuffs Uncle Draco made that read aloud for him, but he was distracted by thoughts of Scorpius and kept having to start over. Albus had hoped to finish his Care of Magical Creatures assignment on the train, so he wouldn't have to worry about it over the break, but he was getting nowhere and should probably give up.

The fifth time Albus looked over at Scorpius, Scorpius caught him, and his brown eyes flashed with irritation. "What is it?"

Albus put his book down and removed his earmuffs. "What's what?" he asked innocently.

"You keep looking at me like you want to say something, then you don't. Just tell me whatever it is."

Albus took a deep breath. This was it. He'd been thinking about this conversation for weeks and had even practiced what he was going to say with Nira. He wished she was here, but her family was going to India to see her extended relatives. Uncle Ron and Aunt Parvati had come for her and Hugo last night and they'd all left via Portkey from McGonagall's office. Maybe Albus should wait for her to return. He could do this on the train ride back to school in January.

"Go ahead, Albus," Scorpius pressed, clearly annoyed.

Albus took another breath, then went for it. "This new friend group you have - Miriam, Warren, Seneca, and those other fourth years,"

"What about them?" Scorpius snapped. Albus considered giving it up right then, but he'd already started, so he may as well finish what he'd meant to say.

"They only like you for your money."

Scorpius shifted away from the window and crossed his arms. He still looked annoyed, but Albus powered on anyway. "More than that, they're mean, and they're making you mean too. You're better than this, Scor and-"

"You don't know anything about it," Scorpius cut him off. "You're just upset I've found new friends. And they don't just like me for my money."

"Really? Because Miriam didn't seem very interested in you before she saw your vault, and now she wants to spend all her time with you and they're always having you buy rounds of butterbeers when we go to Hogsmeade. And-"

"Stop! You're wrong," Scorpius stood up and was glaring down at Albus, so he stood up too, to meet his gaze. "You're just jealous because I'm more popular than you. You were bitter toward James earlier this year, and now you're directing that envy at me."

"That's not it at all. I don't care that you have other friends, I care about who they are. Warren's parents do dark magic. Miriam is a vicious gossip. Are these the people you really like spending time with? Or do you just like students from older years giving you attention?"

Scorpius looked away from Albus and focused back on the window.

"Why are you so desperate to be popular, Scorpius?" Albus pressed. "It doesn't matter what-"

"That's easy for you to say, because you don't have a shot at being popular," Scorpius bit back, glaring down at Albus.

Albus's eyes widened. He'd expected Scorpius to fight back but hadn't been expecting such a low blow. Scorpius looked guilty when he saw Albus's reaction. _Good_ , Albus thought, _he still has a conscience._

Scorpius sighed. "You have no idea what it's like to have to maintain a legacy."

"Me? The son of Harry Potter, has no idea? Are you kidding me?" Albus exclaimed, exasperated.

"That's different," Scorpius waved him off. "Your dad is wonderful, so everyone expects you to be too. I'm coming from behind. I'm going to be the head of one of the most influential families in our world and I need to be impressive and strong, but everyone thinks..." he let his voice trail off and looked back out of the window.

Albus reached for Scorpius's elbow and was glad when he didn't pull away. "Why are you so desperate to prove yourself?" he asked softly. "What are you trying to make up for? Your father's mistakes?"

Scorpius bit his lip and it was obvious he was trying to avoid Albus's gaze. A chill came over Albus as he considered another possibility. "Tell me, Scor. When you said you're coming from behind, were you talking of your father's role in the war, or your mum's blood?"

He saw the truth in Scorpius's eyes and felt sick. He was sure it showed on his face. Scorpius pulled himself out of Albus's grip. "Don't worry yourself about my parents when it's your own you should be focusing on," he said with a sneer that reminded Albus of Miriam. "Do you know everyone calls you Harry Potter's biggest disappointment?"

Angry tears welled in Albus's eyes and he looked down so Scorpius wouldn't see. He didn't want to give him something else to make fun of him for. "What do you say, Scor? When your friends say that about me?" Albus asked, looking at the floor.

Scorpius was silent. When Albus finally looked back up, Scorpius was looking out of the window again. "Even James, who can be a real prat, doesn't put up with it," Albus pressed. "Hugo told me he's hexed people a few times for making fun of me. I know I don't have to worry about Nira. But you...you don't stick up for me, do you? You stay silent, because it's cool."

Albus wiped his eyes with the back of sleeve and waited patiently for Scorpius to look back at him. When he did, his face was twisted in anger, but his eyes were contrite. He didn't have to say anything. Albus could read the answer to his question on his face.

Albus felt like he'd been punched. Honestly, he'd have preferred it if Scorpius had punched him. This betrayal hurt worse. It was one thing to know the whole school thought he was a disaster, but he'd always had his friends for support, and his parents, and even James. But Scorpius, who knew him best, thought he was pathetic. He couldn't even put words to how awful it made him feel.

"That's what I thought," Albus said in a shaky voice before turning and slamming the compartment door behind him. He'd left all his things, but figured he could get them after everyone else had left the train. Right now, he just wanted to be as far away from Scorpius as possible.

He scanned the train quickly for an empty compartment, but they were all full. He saw James with a group of his friends and considered going in there, but shook his head. He didn't want to be around Harry Potter's pride and joy right now.

He also saw Lily with a bunch of first years, but didn't think he was that desperate.

A few moments later, he had almost resigned himself to hanging out with Lily when he passed a compartment with his dormmates, Locke and Kemp. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door, then slowly slid it open.

"Hi, uh, can I join you? I won't talk, it will be like I'm not here."

"You can talk, Potter," Kemp said with a shrug, motioning toward an empty seat across from him. "What's wrong?"

Albus shrugged before taking the seat.

"Where's your other half?" Locke asked, teasingly.

Albus scowled. "You two should talk." Locke and Kemp were best friends just like he and Scorpius and one was rarely seen without the other. _Well, people used to say that about me and Scorpius,_ Albus thought darkly. He had no idea how this recent argument would affect their friendship.

"Fair," Locke said with a smile. "Malfoy has been a bit of a prat lately. Is that why you're here with us?"

Albus nodded, but stayed quiet. He didn't want to get into any details. Maybe Scorpius was fine talking about him behind his back, but he wasn't okay with it.

"Do you want a chocolate frog?" Kemp motioned toward a pile of sweets next to him.

Albus was glad for the change in conversation. He nodded and took a frog. When he saw the card, he smiled. It was Albus Dumbledore, his namesake. His dad had introduced Albus to portraits of the two headmasters he'd been named after last year, when he was at school for the Anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts.

Albus thought Severus Snape was sort of mean and sullen, but he'd really liked Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore had been very kind to him and had found it very amusing that Albus was in Slytherin and also that he was best friends with Scorpius. "Did you know that I have a complete collection?" Albus asked.

"You found the Agrippa card?" Locke asked, disbelievingly.

Albus nodded, wondering how this had never come up in all the time they'd spent together in the dorm. He reached for it in his pocket, but remembered it was in the compartment with Scorpius, in his trunk.

Albus had offered the card to Scorpius on Friday, so he'd have luck during his Arithmancy exam. Scorpius had been in a bad mood. He'd refused the card and told Albus to stop acting like a child, so Albus had buried the card in his trunk before leaving Scorpius alone.

"I don't have it on me, but remind me to show it to you when we're back at school."

Locke smiled, "Sure thing, Potter. I can't wait to see it. Me and my brothers were convinced it didn't exist."

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

"Mum. Will you dance with me?"

Scorpius held his hand out for his mum, who was sitting at the dining table, reading the paper. She put down the article she was reading and smiled widely at Scorpius as she placed her hand in his. "Well, of course. How could I possibly say no to such a handsome young man?"

"Don't forget the handsome old man you're married to," his father said from across the table without looking up from his section of the paper.

"I've tried multiple times to forget him, he won't let me," his mum said, with feigned exasperation.

His father stuck his tongue out at her, and she returned the childish gesture while Scorpius rolled his eyes. Sometimes, he didn't understand how his parents could go from being disgustingly affectionate to bickering incessantly in a way that rivaled Scorpius and Rose's most childish sibling arguments.

"I should warn you," his mum said seriously. "I'm not a very good dancer. Despite all your grandfather's lessons over the years," she added with a smile to his father, who laughed to himself.

Scorpius shrugged. Even a bad partner was better than nothing. He'd had dance lessons, per his grandmother's insistence, when he was young, but he hadn't practiced in ages. He didn't want to make a fool of himself when he went to the ball being hosted by Seneca's parents tonight.

When he was younger, Scorpius had hated the dancing lessons. Just as he'd hated the language tutor and etiquette classes, but now he was grateful for them. Behaving properly was clearly a prerequisite for participating in pureblood society and when he'd first started hanging out with the older Slytherins, he felt like he was under scrutiny. So far, he thought he'd portrayed himself as a proper wizard, but tonight would just be another kind of test.

Albus was convinced that having enough money was enough to get everyone to accept him. But there seemed to be _more_ they were looking for and Scorpius desperately wanted to show them he could live up their high standards. He was a Malfoy, after all, and the son of two very impressive wizards.

His mum started playing music from the radio, then moved the furniture of the drawing room out of the way with her wand. "Where has Albus been these past few days?" his mum asked as they moved around the room.

"I don't know. I have other friends besides Albus," Scorpius said simply, pushing his mum out for a twirl. She hesitated for a second before realizing what he was trying to get her to do. He smirked as he diagnosed her dancing problem. She was trying to lead. It wasn't surprising, given her personality.

"Does he have other friends besides you?" she asked when she was facing him again.

"He has Nira. Plus, I don't see why that's my problem. You all act like he's a baby brother I need to look out for. He's older than me and he already has an older brother to look after him. And I didn't ask him to follow me to Slytherin, he did that on his own. He could easily be in Gryffindor with hundreds of cousins for company, if he wanted."

His mum stopped in place and frowned at Scorpius. "I didn't realize that was a touchy subject, Scorpius, really. I was just curious since I haven't seen him in a while. Did you two fight?"

"We're fine," Scorpius said, motioning for her to take his hand again. She ignored it.

"I know Slytherins well, maybe even more than they know themselves, and let me tell you what I've observed over the years."

"Mum," Scorpius whined, about to turn away. She grabbed him firmly by the arms.

"Sorry, you have to listen to me. It's the price for getting to practice your dancing on me."

"You act like a Slytherin sometimes," he grumbled. She smirked in response and released his arms.

"Slytherins are hyper aware of how they're perceived by others. So, they try to show only their best selves to the outside and keep everything else hidden. It's why they love their secrets and their masks," she stroked his cheek with the back of her hand.

Scorpius turned away from her. "I don't understand what this has to do with Albus."

"I'm getting there," she said calmly, pulling her hand back. "It's okay to want to show the world a certain face while keeping your real self mostly hidden. I'm a politician, that's how I live now. And your father only opens up with a handful of people and is distant and cold to everyone else. But you have to let _some_ people in, Scorpius. If you can't find people you can be honest with, you'll lose yourself."

Scorpius looked down, unsure what she wanted him to say and not entirely sure what she meant. "I think Albus is one of those people you can be your real self with," she continued. "It's fine to fight, you're like brothers, so that's to be expected, but don't dismiss him so quickly."

She placed her hands back on his shoulders. "Lecture over. Ready to go again?"

* * *

** Albus Potter **

It was the fourth day of break when Albus gave in and decided to forgive Scorpius. He Floo-ed to his house and found Uncle Draco and Rose playing chess in the drawing room. The two of them barely acknowledged Albus. Rose just pointed upstairs without looking up from the chess board.

As he left the room, Albus heard Uncle Draco mutter to Rose, "Thank Merlin. It's about time they made up. Maybe Scor will stop acting so sour."

He found Scorpius laying with his back on the bed, throwing a Quaffle up and down. He sat up as soon as the door opened and looked nervous when he saw that it was Albus.

"I know we're technically in a fight," Albus started, "but maybe we can put it on hold for the break. Since Nira and Hugo are gone, I'm stuck with just Lily and James for company and am about to lose my mind."

Scorpius reached over and picked something up off his nightstand and tossed it to Albus. Albus barely caught it, then examined the item in his hand curiously. It was a miniature dresser. "I got so bored, that I spent all day yesterday making that with my gran," Scorpius explained.

"You made this without magic?" Albus asked, awed as he opened the tiny drawers and found small clothes inside. It looked just like a real dresser that had been shrunken with magic. Muggles made these types of things? How bizarre.

"Yeah. My gran likes to make dollhouses. If you can believe it, it took me most of the day to make that. Lame, I know."

"I think it's really cool," Albus said honestly. He couldn't imagine the tools and dexterity required to make such a tiny thing without the aid of magic.

"You would," Scorpius bit back.

Albus stepped back, alarmed by the sudden harshness of his tone. He thought they'd agreed to a truce.

Scorpius dipped his head into his hands and sighed heavily. "Sorry. Sometimes I'm so mean to you. I have no idea why. It just slips out," he said into his hands.

"I know why."

Scorpius dropped his hands from his face and looked at Albus curiously. "Why?"

Albus sat next to Scorpius on the bed and focused back on the tiny piece of furniture. "You treat me like shite because I let you. Nira says that to me all the time."

"Oh. Why do you do that?"

Albus shrugged and kept his gaze on the object in his hands, away from Scorpius. "I don't know. You know me. I've never been one to hold a grudge."

Scorpius was silent, then after several moments of awkwardness, Albus stood and placed the small dresser on a shelf next to the Night Viper dragon figurine he'd gotten Scorpius over the summer.

"Why'd you put it there?" Scorpius asked when Albus returned to the bed.

Albus shrugged, considering the question, then smiled when the answer came to him. "Those two items sum you up, I think. The first, the dragon figurine, is your Malfoy side. Dark, dangerous, magical. Then the little dollhouse furniture is your Granger side. Muggle, hardworking, a little eccentric. Together, Scorpius Malfoy, half-blood."

Scorpius scowled. "Don't call me that."

Albus shot up from the bed and hissed, "Are you a blood purist now? Since when? Need I remind you of who your mum is?"

Albus had promised his dad he'd leave if he ever found himself in a conversation about blood statuses. He never imagined it would happen with Scorpius, and at his house. He shook his head, then turned to the door and had his hand on the doorknob when Scorpius pulled him back by his arm. "It's not like that," Scorpius said defensively.

"I came over here determined not to talk about your friends and to be nice. But you're rude to me, then tell me off for calling you a half-blood, which is absolutely what you are. I'm sort of one too."

"You're just a quarter Muggle," Scorpius said pointedly.

"I'm 0% Muggle. My dad's mum was a witch, and so is your mum," Albus snapped back. "And since when do you keep such close track of everyone's blood status?"

Scorpius was silent. Albus had never been so disappointed in his friend. Was he that bad kind of Slytherin now? All in an effort to be popular? Is this how it had happened for Uncle Draco? No, Uncle Draco's friends and family all believed the same and helped influence his beliefs. It was the opposite for Scorpius.

Albus turned to leave again, and this time Scorpius didn't try to stop him. Instead, he sighed and plopped heavily onto his back on the bed. Albus gave him one last look and saw his face was twisted in anguish before he pulled his hand up to cover it.

Albus decided to stay then, since Scorpius clearly needed a friend and he hoped it wasn't too late to remind him of who he really was. He crossed the room and took his shoes off before sitting on the bed next to Scorpius, stretching his legs out on front of him and leaning his back against the headboard.

Scorpius dropped his hand and looked at him questioningly, as if surprised to see him still there. Albus nudged Scorpius's side with his leg. "Tell me what's going on with you."

Scorpius was quiet for a long time and Albus thought he wasn't going to answer. Then, he sat up and joined Albus at the head of the bed. He leaned his head against the headboard and looked up at the ceiling before finally starting to talk.

"I'm not a blood purist. I love my mum more than anyone and she's the most impressive witch I've ever encountered."

Albus turned his head to look at Scorpius and saw a few tears fall down his face. He turned back to face the opposite wall, trying to give Scorpius privacy.

"But even though I don't believe that Muggleborns are inferior, that doesn't change the fact that a lot of people still do. They expect less of me because I'm a half-blood and I want to prove them wrong. I _need_ to. You don't understand, because you don't care what people think of you, but I do."

"I care what others think," Albus replied in a soft voice, still keeping his gaze forward. He was focusing on the shelf with the black dragon and the small dresser as he spoke. "Just not everyone. But I care about what Nira thinks. And my parents, James and Lily, the professors I like, your parents, and probably more than anyone - you."

Albus felt Scorpius's eyes on him but kept his face forward. Scorpius leaned against his side, but Albus ignored him. Then Scorpius shifted on the bed and Albus could see him facing him from his periphery.

"I don't think you're a disappointment to anyone, Albus. And the first time someone said it in front of me, I stood up for you. I told them off for making judgements about someone they didn't even know, then explained that not only are you my best mate and an amazing friend, but that you're a potions genius and your father is very proud of you."

Albus saw Scorpius move out of the corner of his eye and finally turned his head toward him. He'd pulled his legs up and dropped his forehead against his knees. "They all looked at me weird," he said, his voice muffled against his legs. "Which is why the second, third, and fourth times, I stayed quiet. I'm so sorry, Albus."

Albus's heart fell and he stayed silent, unsure what to say next. Scorpius kept talking.

"Then on the train, when you told me they only liked me for my money, I was so angry, not with you, really, but with myself. I'm trying to be more than my fortune, and my surname, and my blood status, but I -" he looked up from his knees and his eyes were brimming with tears, "- I don't know how," he ended in a whisper.

They watched each other for a long time. Albus was trying to sort through everything Scorpius had admitted, and Scorpius looked like he was nervously awaiting Albus's verdict. Eventually, Albus reached into his pocket and handed Scorpius the Agrippa chocolate frog card.

Scorpius laughed when he saw it. "Is this card your solution to all of life's problems?"

Albus shrugged and continued to hold it out for Scorpius to take. "It works. Need I remind you that it got you on the Quidditch team and helped you stay top of the class? And let's not forget I saw the rarest dragon in the world because of that card." Scorpius took the card and put it in his pocket, then Albus added more seriously, "Maybe the fifth time someone speaks ill of me, it'll give you the courage to be a better friend."

Scorpius dropped his eyes. "And the rest of it, Scor…" Albus paused to sigh. "You already are more than your money and your last name and your blood status. You're more than your class standing, and your Quidditch stats, and popularity. And you shouldn't waste your time with anyone who doesn't already see that."

Scorpius looked back at him with a pained expression. "That would just leave me with you," he said quietly.

Albus snorted and looked away. "You say that like it's the worst thing."

Albus got up from the bed and was finally ready to leave. There was only so much of Scorpius's constant rejection he could handle in one sitting.

"Where are you going?" Scorpius asked. His voice was small and he sounded so much younger.

Albus sighed and kept his back to Scorpius. "You obviously don't want me here. You know where to find me, when you're ready to be my friend again."

"Please stay," Scorpius said firmly. Albus stopped in place, then sighed and shook his head. He heard Scorpius get up and felt him standing behind him the next second. "Please," he said again.

Albus turned around and crossed his arms. "Do you actually like me, Scorpius? Or do you just like having someone you can boss around? Someone who strokes your ego and makes you feel better about yourself."

Scorpius set his jaw, then backed up until he reached the bed and sat down with a sigh. "You don't make me feel better about myself. You make me feel like absolute shite, because you're such a good person and I'm so awful. But you're the only person in the world I think I can be my true self around. And I -" Scorpius looked down, then said into his lap, "-I need you. Please, don't leave me alone."

Albus frowned. He couldn't remember a time Scorpius had been so vulnerable with him. He thought again how obvious it was that Scorpius needed a friend right now and couldn't let himself leave him alone in this state. Albus sighed and said in a lighter tone, "I won't make you beg anymore, that's more James's style."

Scorpius smiled at him and Albus went to sit next to him on the bed. Scorpius leaned against Albus and placed his head on his shoulder. "I'm a fucking mess."

"Language, Scor," Albus teased, then said more seriously, "Yes, you are a bit of a mess."

"Why do you still put up with me?" Scorpius asked, incredulously.

"I've known you my whole life, and I know you well enough to know that you're a good person, most of the time. You just make mistakes. We all do. Stop trying to be so perfect, Scor."

* * *

_Easter Break, Third Year_

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

"I kissed Miriam," Scorpius admitted once Albus and he had settled on the roof of his house and were both facing up, looking at the few stars visible in the cloudy sky. He saw Albus turn his head.

"What? When?"

"At Hogsmeade, last weekend. Or, well, more precisely, on the walk back to the castle."

"Oh. How did it come about?" Albus turned his head back up and Scorpius smiled. He wondered how much restraint it was taking Albus not to say anything bad about Miriam.

It had taken almost a full month for Scorpius and Albus to get past the awkwardness after their fight from Christmas Break, but they were finally as close as they had been before. If it had been solely up to Albus, Scorpius was sure they would have been back to normal almost immediately, but it took Scorpius a little while to get over the guilt he felt at having been such a bad friend.

He had told his friends bluntly that he wouldn't put up with any taunts about Albus in his presence and it had worked, surprisingly. But he still mostly kept Albus and his other Slytherin friends separate. Albus had started hanging out with their dormmates more, Locke and Kemp, so Scorpius felt less guilty when he left him alone to hang out with his other friends.

"You left early, remember, with Locke and Kemp?" Albus had tagged along with Scorpius and his Quidditch team for lunch at the Three Broomsticks, then gotten bored of all the Quidditch talk after about an hour, before going to find some other friends. Scorpius saw Albus nod out of the corner of his eye.

"We spent another hour or so at the Three Broomsticks after you left, then I was about to head back to the castle, but Miriam said she wanted to get some sweets and insisted I go with her for some reason. So, I watched her pick out her sweets, then that's how we came to be walking back to Hogwarts alone."

"Then she pounced?" Albus teased.

Scorpius shook his head. "No. She grabbed my arm as we walked, I assumed for warmth, then when we got to Hagrid's hut, she pulled me off the path and said, 'When are you going to kiss me?' It caught me off guard, since I had no idea she liked me like that."

"Do you like her like that?"

Scorpius shrugged. "I suppose so. She's pretty and smart. Good at Quidditch."

"What else could you want in a witch?" Albus muttered bitterly.

Scorpius ignored him. "Anyway, after she said that, I leaned in and did it."

Albus sat up and looked down at Scorpius seriously. "How was it?"

Scorpius placed his hands behind his head as he considered the question. "It was okay," he said after a while. "After I pressed my lips against hers, I wasn't really sure what else I was meant to do. So, I just moved my mouth around a bit until she eventually pulled away. I'm sure it wasn't very good, but she didn't say anything bad about it."

Albus looked away from Scorpius, toward the center of the city and seemed to be thinking hard about something. "I think it's supposed to be better than that," he said, looking back at Scorpius. "Maybe she's not _the one,"_ he added teasingly.

"I know you're joking, but the thought occurred to me. I've never really stopped to think about it, but is that how it works? Is there just one other person for me in the whole world? And if so, how am I supposed to find them?"

Albus cocked his head at him and Scorpius could tell he was suppressing a grin. But he was too polite to make fun of Scorpius, which is why Albus was the best. "Well, what did you come up with?" Albus asked.

"I asked my mum what she thought. She said she thought there were multiple people out there that could make a person happy. But when I asked my father the same question, he said he believed that there was just one perfect soulmate for him, and it was my mum. And when I told him what she said, he said he knew for a fact she believed the same as him and he thought she was lying to me before. He said she probably didn't want to stress me out with the pressure of having to find the one witch in the whole world I'm supposed to be with."

Albus nodded thoughtfully.

"But the first witch I'm with doesn't need to be _the one_ ," Scorpius continued. "My parents dated other people before each other. Like Nira's dad and Astoria."

"I can't picture either of those couples."

"I know. It's impossible to imagine my parents without each other. But your mum told me it used to be the other way around. They used to hate each other so much, that no one could picture them together."

"That part I can sort of see. They do fight a lot. Though it seems to be sort of a game for them."

Scorpius nodded. He knew what Albus meant. He'd only seen his parents fight, for real, a handful of times in his life. All the other times they seemed to bicker for fun. "What do you think of the soulmate thing?" he asked.

Albus shrugged. "I don't know."

Scorpius sighed. "When are you going to start kissing witches? That way we can compare notes."

Albus shrugged again and laid back down. "I'm not very interested in kissing witches," he said simply.

"Or, more accurately, they aren't interested in kissing you." Scorpius held his arm up to block the shove he knew was coming. He managed to avoid Albus's elbow into his side and they both laughed.

"If you want to know if you're a good kisser, just ask Nira, the first witch you've ever kissed," Albus joked.

"Oh yeah, not quite the same," Scorpius snorted.

"She'd probably let you practice on her. And she'd give you brutal feedback."

They both laughed again, then went back to watching the clouds move across the night sky.

"So are you going to start dating Miriam?" Albus asked after a time.

"I don't know."

"Do you want to?"

"I don't know."

"What do you know?"

Scorpius turned his head to look at Albus. "That I have absolutely no clue about witches."

"No help here," Albus said with a smile.

"I wasn't expecting any." That time, Scorpius didn't manage to avoid Albus's attack in time and winced when he was kicked in the side of the leg.

* * *

** Albus Potter **

A few days after the night he'd spent talking to Scorpius on the roof of his house, when Albus had learned the horrifying fact that Scorpius and Miriam had kissed and had tried his best not to let the horror show on his face, Scorpius and Albus were practicing spells in the garden with Uncle Draco.

They'd been working on Patronus charms all week. The spell had been Albus's request, after he learned that his dad had mastered this spell in his third year too. Uncle Draco admitted that he hadn't learned the spell until later, after Scorpius was born. But he said it had been worth the wait, since he thought he had the coolest Patronus out of anyone he'd ever met. Albus agreed. Uncle Draco's Patronus was a dragon.

So far, the boys had only managed to make silver smoke, but Albus was confident he'd be able to master the spell today. He'd been thinking about it all night and thought he understood where he'd been going wrong before. He'd been trying to focus simultaneously on his wand position, the feeling of the magic, the incantation, and the happy memory. But he needed to let his instincts take over for the spellwork and focus all his thoughts on the happy memory.

The memory he was using was one from a few years before Hogwarts. He and Scorpius had been trying to control their accidental bursts of magic for months, then they finally had a breakthrough and managed to make all the leaves in the yard fly around them in a swarm, like bats. There were multiple sources of happiness for Albus in this memory. The feeling of accomplishment, at finally managing to harness the magic that had been coming out in bursts for years, the first time he'd felt like he truly belonged in the world of wizards, and getting to share the experience with his favorite person in the whole world.

He wondered what Scorpius's memory was. Was it kissing Miriam? Gross. Albus pushed the thought from his mind, since it would be hard to make any sort of Patronus with that image in his head.

"Where's Nira?" Uncle Draco asked as he handed Scorpius and Albus their wands. After their first few lessons, when Albus found that Uncle Draco's wand was not compatible with his magic, Uncle Draco had snuck into Grimmauld Place and stolen Albus's wand. Albus was always worried he'd be caught, but so far Uncle Draco had managed to slip it back into its hiding place before his parents found out it was missing. It seemed odd that Albus's dad, who always found out about things like this, hadn't caught on yet and Albus wondered if, maybe, he knew about the lessons, and didn't really care.

"Nira told me she'll join us again once we're finished with Patronuses. She said it's not a very practical spell at our age," Albus explained.

"More likely, she just hates how bad she is at it," Scorpius quipped and Albus and he shared a knowing smile.

Uncle Draco told her she was bad at it for the same reason he had been in the beginning. It's a very emotional spell and Nira was always so logical. "You'll be good at Occlumency," Uncle Draco had reassured her, "but Patronuses will be hard until you can find a way to tap into those emotions you're suppressing."

After thirty minutes of practice, Albus finally got the feeling for the spell, but he held back, eyeing Scorpius warily. They were finally close again and he didn't want to tip the balance right now. And he suspected Scorpius would be especially annoyed with Albus if he outperformed him in front of his father. If there was one thing Albus could change about Scorpius, it would be his extreme competitive streak.

At the end of the lesson, Scorpius had still only managed silver smoke, though it was getting a lot brighter, which Uncle Draco said was a good sign. After reassuring the boys that it was a very advanced spell, he invited them inside for tea. Scorpius went in with his father and Albus said he wanted to try a few more times on his own.

He tried the first time - focusing hard on the memory. " _Expecto Patronum!"_ he felt the smoke flow out of his wand, but the magic was still forced. He wasn't relaxing enough.

He shook his arms and cleared his head, then tried his best to put himself back into that memory of the day he and Scorpius managed their first real spell. It had been in this very yard, several years before. When he tried the spell again, a silver unicorn burst out of his wand and galloped around him a few times before disappearing. Albus jumped up and down, grinning ear to ear. When he turned around, he saw Uncle Draco leaning against the railing of the porch, watching him with a smirk.

"I thought so," Uncle Draco said softly.

"What?" Albus said, dropping his smile.

"I thought you were holding back. But why?"

"It was just a fluke," Albus waved him off. "I doubt I could do it again." He started to walk back inside, but Uncle Draco caught his arm as he passed.

"I know my son. And I know how competitive he can be."

Albus stayed silent, unsure how to respond.

"When I was your age," Uncle Draco continued in a softer tone, "I spent entirely too long trying to be who everyone else thought I should be. Don't make the same mistake, Albus. Don't be ashamed of who you are."

Albus nodded and Uncle Draco smiled, then disappeared back inside the house. Albus looked down at his wand and sighed. "If only I knew who that was," he whispered to himself before joining Uncle Draco and Scorpius inside for tea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I adore Albus in this story. He's so sweet, though he does let Scorpius walk all over him. Luckily, he gets more of a backbone in the next chapter.
> 
> Thanks as always to my betas Lancashire Witch and Kimmeh B. Come see me on Tumblr at Alexandra-Emerson. I'm a little ahead on writing, so the next chapter will be posted earlier than expected on Wed, Feb-3.


	4. Fourth Year

**Chapter 4 - Fourth Year**

* * *

_Summer before Fourth Year_

* * *

** Albus Potter **

Albus and Nira were hiding out in Albus's mum's old bedroom at the Burrow while the rest of their cousins de-gnomed the garden. They'd escaped this task by offering to help their grandma with some indoor chores. She'd given them a long list but didn't know how good Albus and Nira were getting with wandless magic. They were done in less than an hour, then went to hide before she assigned them more work.

Now they were sitting on his mum's childhood bed, looking through some of her old books from school while they made plans for Nira's first trip to Hogsmeade in a few months. Albus had explained all his favorite spots, most of which were off the beaten path and only accessible on days when he had the invisibility cloak. He stopped flipping through his mum's notes on Transfiguration, which had little doodles of Quidditch plays in the margins, and regarded Nira seriously.

She must have felt his eyes on her, because she put down her book and looked back at him expectantly. "What?" she asked, leaning forward to see the book he'd been looking at, as if that was the source of his sudden change in mood. Albus closed the book and pushed it away, then sighed and spread his legs out in front of him.

"I think I'm gay," he said quickly, then winced and looked at a poster of the Weird Sisters on the wall.

Nira closed her book and spread her legs out to match Albus's pose. She waited for him to look back at her before talking. "Tell me more," she said, and Albus was glad to see that she didn't seem disgusted or put off, but again, he hadn't really expected that reaction from her. That's why he'd decided to tell her first.

"I don't really know what else to say. I'm attracted to wizards, and not witches. Uh, no offense," he added with a small smile and was relieved when she returned it.

"I'm not offended," she said matter-of-factly. "You said you _think_ you're gay. Do you not know for sure?"

Albus shrugged. "I've been thinking about it for a while, and I- uh- I'm pretty sure. My plan is to assess this next term, when I'm around lots of different people who aren't my cousins," _and who aren't Scorpius,_ he thought, but didn't add. "If I still feel gay by Christmas break, I think I'll tell my parents."

Nira nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. You know me, I always love a good plan. Are you, uh- feeling okay about it?"

Albus nodded. "I feel okay about being gay, if that does turn out to be the case," he said, carefully. _I don't feel okay about the fact that the first bloke I find myself attracted to is my best mate, who is overly concerned about appearances, and isn't gay, and is dating my least favorite witch in all of Hogwarts,_ Albus thought to himself.

Nira was saying something about Scorpius, which snapped Albus out of his thoughts. "What?" he asked.

"Have you told Scorpius?"

"Oh. No."

"I guess I see that. He can be overly concerned with appearances at times."

 _Yes,_ Albus thought, _my words exactly._

"But give him a chance," Nira continued. "I know he can be a prat, but he usually shows up as a friend when he really needs to."

Albus just nodded.

"Do you like anyone?" Nira asked next.

Albus wondered if she'd gotten to this question because they'd just been talking about Scorpius. _No. You're just being paranoid._

"No," he lied.

"So, you just generally find men attractive, but don't like any one in particular?"

"Correct."

This was false. He really only found one person attractive, and it was Scorpius. Hence the plan to observe his feelings towards other people when he got back to Hogwarts. Maybe, he just liked Scorpius because he was the only bloke around who wasn't related to Albus. But he had a suspicion it wouldn't turn out to be that easy.

"I have a question." Albus could tell by Nira's grin that he wasn't going to like it. He waved for her to continue with whatever it was. "You live with a bunch of boys. Have you ever peeked while they're getting dressed?"

"Of course not!" Albus grabbed her leg and tickled that part above the knee she hated until she jumped out of the bed in retreat.

This was another lie. He hadn't looked at anything below the belt. _As if that makes it less creepy_ , the critical voice in his head (that coincidentally sounded a lot like Scorpius) said, but it wasn't Albus's fault Scorpius was always prancing about with his shirt off. He sighed heavily and laid back on the bed. _Fuck. I'm so screwed._

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

Scorpius had started dating Miriam just before the end of term. After their kiss before Easter Break, Scorpius didn't know what he was supposed to do, so he just behaved like normal around her and waited for her to do or say something.

What she did was start dating another bloke. A fifth year, burly guy who seemed a bit stupid to Scorpius. Scorpius had no idea what to think and Nira told him Miriam was probably trying to make him jealous, so he'd make a move. Scorpius didn't feel like making any moves, especially against a wizard two years older than him, and twice his size.

So, he left Miriam alone, and by the end of term she came back to him. She told him he did a good job of calling her bluff and Scorpius had no idea what was going on. Then, when she proclaimed that they should be boyfriend and girlfriend and kissed him again, he had shrugged and ultimately agreed.

He liked Miriam well enough. She was clever and witty and also pretty, when she wasn't sneering. She was also very well connected and seemed to know everything that was going on around her. That part, Scorpius found the most appealing, since he always felt like he was living in the dark.

He had spent a few days with her over the break at her parent's summer home near Dorset. They'd mostly flown all day and talked about people from school and Scorpius got to practice his kissing a bit more.

The weirdest thing was that he still hadn't met her parents. When Scorpius's father dropped him off at the house, the only adult there was Miriam's sister, who was Teddy's age. When Scorpius had asked her if she had known his cousin in school, she'd just looked at him nastily before leaving the room.

Scorpius had no idea where Miriam's parents were and every time he asked, she brushed him off. She also didn't seem to be very close with her older sister and Scorpius wondered if she was lonely.

He knew better than to ask, since she'd probably scold him for bringing up something so personal. Scorpius could talk to Albus and Nira about anything, but Miriam liked to keep things distant.

Today, Miriam was coming over to his house to meet his parents, and Scorpius was dreading it. Miriam could be rude to adults (he blamed this on her absent parents), and his parents could be difficult too. He had no idea how tea was going to go, but his mum had insisted on meeting her, so here he was, pacing the drawing room, as he waited for Miriam to arrive through the Floo.

Miriam had worn a simple, grey dress, which Scorpius was glad to see. At least she seemed to be taking this event seriously. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before dragging her to the dining room where his family was sitting, all lost in different reading material.

Rose was reading _Hogwarts, a History_ , which his mum had recommended she read before starting school. Scorpius had read it too before his first year and found it surprisingly interesting. His father was reading the Daily Prophet and his mum was reading one of her legal briefs from work.

Scorpius cleared his throat to get their attention. Rose glanced up, before moving her eyes back to her book, but his parents put their papers down and stood up to greet Miriam.

"Nice to see you, again," his father said, flatly.

As they shook hands, Scorpius held his breath and willed Miriam to smile, but she didn't.

His father returned to his seat at the table and told Rose to put her book away. Now, it was his mum's turn. "Hello, Miriam. Nice to meet you," she said politely, and Miriam returned her smile. _Thank Merlin,_ thought Scorpius.

Tea started okay, but everything began to fall apart about ten minutes in, when Scorpius's mum asked Miriam what her parents did.

"My mother doesn't work, and my father works at the same firm Augustus Fitzgerald runs. They're good friends."

Everything went silent and Scorpius's stomach dropped. Augustus Fitzgerald was going to be his mum's opponent in the upcoming Minister for Magic election. How had he and Miriam not discussed this? From the amusement shining in her dark eyes, he could tell she knew about his mum's strained relationship with Fitzgerald.

His mum wasn't a politician for nothing, thank goodness. She shrugged, before saying nonchalantly, "Yes, I know Fitzgerald well. We've worked on legislation together for years."

Miriam turned to Scorpius. "I hope it's not awkward, that my family and your family will be on opposite sides of the upcoming election, Scorpius." He winced. Why was she pressing this? Sometimes, Miriam was the worst.

"It's fine. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion," his mum cut in.

"Your tea looks low, Miriam," she continued. "Here, take this," she passed the tea pot over and Miriam glanced at it awkwardly before taking it by the spout, which was odd. Scorpius saw his mum and father exchange a strange look.

Then, his mum dropped her plate and everyone at the table, except his father and mum, jumped and Scorpius wondered if they'd planned it. His mum bent over to clean it up and he saw her grab Miriam's arm on her way up, "Sorry, Dear, did any of that hit you?"

Something passed between them and the next moment, his mum's eyes were alight with anger and Scorpius recoiled, wondering what he'd done wrong. She glanced at his father and he gave her a curt nod. "You'll have to excuse us," his mum said quickly and the next moment, Scorpius and Miriam were alone at the table with Rose.

Miriam didn't seem to think anything was weird and she turned to Rose and started talking to her about Hogwarts, motioning toward the book that sat closed on the table.

He was relieved to see them talking easily, though not entirely surprised. Everyone liked Rose, why wouldn't they? She was so laid back. But the people who knew her well, like him, knew behind that kind smile and easy demeanor was a sharp wit and biting sarcasm that was reserved only for those she was closest to.

Scorpius looked behind him and saw his parents had disappeared out the back door. The door was ajar, and he could barely make out their voices. They were talking in low tones, then he heard laughter. Laughter? What were they doing? Why had they left so abruptly? And why were they being so rude?

He excused himself and crept to the kitchen, stopping out of sight, near the door, where he could hear them, but not be seen.

"I'm only laughing so I don't start crying," he heard his mum say.

"I know," his father replied. "Tell me honestly. What are the charges for hexing a minor?" Scorpius hitched his breath. Were they talking about Miriam?

"An unarmed minor," his mum clarified. "As long as there's no lasting damage...just fines."

"I know you want to do it, but it should be me. With the election coming up, you really shouldn't be hexing young girls. Especially purebloods."

Scorpius was horrified. He went outside and closed the door behind him. "Why are you talking about hexing Miriam?!" he hissed.

He was annoyed that his parents didn't seem ashamed by what he'd overheard them saying. "Good, you're here," his father said. "Saves me from inventing a reason to get you away. You're grounded."

"For what?"

"For bringing a blood purist into our house," he motioned toward the door.

"What?" Scorpius stepped back, alarmed. "She's not a blood purist. She's my girlfriend."

"Right, that's a more serious offense. You're grounded for dating a blood purist. I have to demand you break up with her, immediately." Scorpius thought his father was joking at first, but he looked completely serious.

"She is not!" Scorpius said again, trying to get his father to see reason. How could he possibly know that after ten minutes? He knew Miriam could be harsh, but she'd never said anything to Scorpius about his blood status. And he'd never heard her call anyone a Mudblood either.

"She is," his father said simply.

Scorpius looked to his mum, who was usually the more reasonable one. She nodded.

"How do you know?" Scorpius asked. Was it because her family supported Fitzgerald? It seemed like there was something else. "What did I miss?"

"A lot," his mum said, angrily. She went back to the door. "I'm leaving. I'd planned to help Theo and Bennett with the kids today anyway."

"You can't go," Scorpius argued, wondering how it would look to Miriam if his mum abruptly left in the middle of a tea she'd insisted on.

"I put up with this enough at work. I don't need it in my own house."

"Go ahead, I've got this," his father said, comfortingly. When she was through the door, he called out to her. "Hermione," she turned to look at him over her shoulder. "You're perfect."

"Thank you," she said with a sad smile.

"Can you peek your head into the dining room on your way out, to make sure she's not corrupting our other child, too?" his father added.

"Sure thing," his mum said before closing the door.

"Now you," his father turned to face Scorpius and he looked murderous. Scorpius gulped. His father had always been patient with Rose and him growing up, but seeing their mum upset was a trigger for him. He would take rudeness and tantrums directed at him just fine, but if they were mean to their mum, he'd snap. Scorpius could tell that's what was going on now.

"What is wrong with you, Scorpius?" his father hissed.

Scorpius looked back at him defiantly. "Tell me why you're so sure she's a blood purist."

His father sighed and his eyes softened slightly. "Scor, your mum has been dealing with these prejudices her whole life. She has little tricks she uses to suss it out. Today, when she handed her the teapot, your girlfriend wouldn't take it by the handle, like a normal person, not wanting to brush your mum's hand."

Scorpius shook his head. "You're reading into nothing."

His father ignored him. "Then your mum dropped her plate and placed a hand on the girl on her way up, and your girlfriend flinched. She's clearly not comfortable being touched by a Muggleborn."

"She probably caught her off guard."

"I touched her unexpectedly, too. She was fine." His father sighed. "Believe me, Scor, we've been doing this for a long time."

"You're just mad her family supports the other bloke in the election."

"The other bloke is a racist, whose only problem with your mum is her blood status," his father bit back.

"She shook mum's hand just fine. And she's dating me, a half-blood," Scorpius pointed out.

"She saw the handshake coming. And you're the Malfoy heir. A lot can be forgiven when large piles of gold are involved."

They glared at each other. "I want to know what Albus thinks of her," his father said unexpectedly.

"Why?"

"I trust Albus."

"And you don't trust me?" Scorpius asked, affronted.

"I did." Scorpius's heart dropped and he turned away from his father.

When he'd told Albus he had started dating Miriam, Albus had just had one question. "Do you actually like her, or are you just dating her because she's popular?"

Scorpius had snapped at him. "You always seem so nice, but you don't think very much of people. You're convinced Miriam is with me for my money, and I'm with her for the popularity boost."

Albus had dropped the subject after that and hadn't brought Miriam up again. But Scorpius still knew the answer to his father's question. Albus did not like Miriam. He didn't say it, but his father read it on his face.

"I thought so." He took a deep, steadying breath, clearly trying to keep his anger in check. "I can't control you, unfortunately. But I won't let her in the house again. Date her at school, and hopefully in a few months you'll realize what she is for yourself and drop her."

Scorpius stayed quiet, unsure what to say to that.

His father turned to the house. "Let's go."

"Do you really not trust me?" Scorpius asked, softly. His father paused with his hand on the doorknob.

"Honestly, you lost a lot of trust today. But it can be earned back. Come on."

* * *

_Christmas Break, Fourth Year_

* * *

** Albus Potter **

When Albus got to Scorpius's house, he couldn't find him anywhere, though they'd had plans to meet tonight. He couldn't be outside, could he? It was freezing and Albus didn't want to scale a wall that was likely covered in ice.

When he got to the garden, he called up to the roof and Scorpius popped his head over.

"What are you doing up there? It's freezing; come down," Albus called up at him, trying to keep his voice low.

"No," Scorpius said simply, before disappearing. Albus sighed and started to climb, but he was shivering too much. He went inside and grabbed one of Scorpius's cloaks from the hall closet before going back outside. He had to roll the sleeves up, to get them out of his way while climbing.

When they were younger, they had both been the same size. In the past few years, Scorpius had grown a few inches taller than Albus and his shoulders had gotten broader too, while Albus had stayed scrawny. It was probably all of the Quidditch, Albus thought to himself as he made his way to the roof.

He needed to get a hobby that made him more muscular, too. It was too bad Quidditch was the only sport popular at Hogwarts. His dad told him in the Muggle world there were loads of sports to choose from, so it was guaranteed everyone would find at least one activity they liked.

When Albus reached the top, his foot slipped on an icy brick and he swore and grabbed the rain gutter just in time. Scorpius peered over the side, looking bored. "What is taking you so long?"

Albus rolled his eyes as he slowly pulled himself up and over the top. So he was going to get a sour Scorpius today. Not the kind that apologized for making him come up here in this awful weather, then offered a helpful hand once he got near the top.

Albus looked around and saw where Scorpius had been laying. There was one pillow. Even though Scorpius knew Albus was coming over, he'd only thought to bring a pillow up for himself. Albus was getting so sick of Scorpius's perpetual selfishness lately. He blamed it entirely on Miriam and her terrible influence.

Albus was glad he'd at least thought to grab a cloak, since Scorpius, predictably, only had one for himself. Albus pulled the cloak closer around him, then frowned when he realized it smelled like Scorpius. _Bullocks_ , he thought to himself. _This is not what I need tonight._

Albus took a seat near where Scorpius had been laying and rested his back against the chimney stack as he looked out at the London skyline. "Why are you in such a bad mood?" he asked Scorpius.

"My parents are being ridiculous about Miriam. They won't let me see her over the break."

Miriam. Of course. Albus should have guessed. He was on Uncle Draco and Aunt Hermione's side, but knew better than to say so. Anytime Scorpius brought Miriam up, Albus stayed quiet until Scorpius changed the subject. He had no idea what Scorpius saw in that awful girl and couldn't wait until one of them tired of the other and broke it off.

Albus wasn't surprised when Scorpius told him his parents thought she was a blood purist and wondered how Scorpius could have missed what seemed so obvious to Albus and Nira. Sometimes Scorpius was so bright, he wasn't top of their class for nothing. But, when it came to Miriam, and his other Slytherin friends, he was a complete idiot.

"I know you refuse to talk about her with me," Scorpius continued, irritated, "so I won't bore you any further with my problems."

"Good," Albus said bitterly and Scorpius snapped his head up and looked at him, questioningly.

When Albus didn't answer Scorpius's unspoken question, Scorpius laid back down. "Come down here," he said bossily. "Why are you sitting up there?"

"There's only one pillow."

"Oh," Scorpius said, as if he was just noticing this. He shifted slightly. "Okay, you can lay down now. I made room."

"No," Albus said simply, keeping his eyes on the buildings in the distance.

"Why not?"

 _Because I love you. Not only in a brotherly way, but also a gay way. I'm already being forced to suffer the scent of your cologne as I wear this cloak and last thing I need is to lay close to you with our bodies touching._ Albus took a ragged breath. "I want to sit."

"Just lay down. I'm laying down and it's weird that you're not."

"Then you sit up," Albus snapped, shifting farther away from him.

Scorpius lunged for Albus then, and Albus didn't see it coming, since he'd been trying to look away from him, and was pinned easily to the ground. "Get off me!" he shouted, and Scorpius covered his mouth with his hand.

"Shh," he hissed in Albus's ear. "Our trips up here are still supposed to be a secret." Albus tried to move away but Scorpius was stronger than him and wouldn't budge, but he let go of his mouth.

"Is this comfortable for you?" Albus grumbled.

Scorpius lifted his head up and smiled down at Albus. "Very comfortable, I could lay here like this all night."

Albus had already been struggling with having to wear Scorpius's cloak and the thought of lying next to him, and now Scorpius was laying on top of him. His Agrippa card had been doing nothing for his luck, lately.

"If you tell me what's wrong with you, I'll let you go. I told you why I'm in a bad mood."

Albus took a breath and closed his eyes. He'd meant for this to go a different way, but, well, here it went. "I'm gay."

In credit to Scorpius, he didn't immediately jump off of Albus in disgust. He stayed laying on top of him, quiet, and after a few moments, Albus peeked one eye open so he could see what Scorpius was doing. He was just looking down at Albus, concerned.

"You're gay?" he asked, when he saw Albus looking at him.

Albus closed his eyes again. "Yes. As if I wasn't odd enough, now I have this going for me. I'm sure our classmates will love it."

Scorpius sighed heavily and Albus felt it against his chest. Why was Scorpius still laying on him? He really needed him to get away. "Can you get off of me now?"

Scorpius looked down, like he'd forgotten he was currently laying on top of Albus. "Oh. Why? Is this turning you on?"

Albus could tell by his grin he was kidding and hoped the sneer he gave Scorpius in response was convincing, because the true answer was, _absolutely._

Scorpius rolled off him and returned to his pillow. This time Albus took the spot next to him, figuring laying next to Scorpius couldn't be worse than the position he'd just escaped.

Albus had no idea what to say and was glad when Scorpius talked first. "How long have you known?"

"I've suspected for about a year and spent the last term paying closer attention. I'm sure now."

Albus's plan to observe his feelings toward other, non-relatives had worked okay. He'd come to the conclusion that he was only really attracted to wizards and didn't care for witches very much, at least not romantically. Unfortunately, though, his feelings for Scorpius had not changed since last summer. If anything, they'd gotten stronger.

"Who have you told?"

This was the question Albus had been hoping Scorpius wouldn't ask. He answered it honestly anyway. "I told Nira last summer and I told my family yesterday."

Scorpius turned his head quickly and Albus could feel his breath on his cheek. He pulled the collar of the cloak up and shifted as far away from Scorpius as he could, while still keeping his head on the pillow. Scorpius didn't seem to notice. "You told me last?" He didn't sound angry, just hurt.

Albus felt Scorpius shift and soon the warmth of him against Albus's side was gone. He must have sat up. Albus pulled his arms up to cover his face and sighed.

"Please, Albus. Tell me what's wrong."

Albus stayed quiet. Out of the long list of the reasons he had decided to give Scorpius this news last, he was trying to pick which ones to go with.

"Albus," Scorpius pressed. He sounded worried now.

"I didn't think you'd like the idea of having a gay friend," Albus said eventually, keeping his arms over his face.

Scorpius was quiet, then his hands were on Albus's arms and he pulled them off of his face. Albus didn't even try to fight, he knew it was futile. He kept his eyes closed though and he felt Scorpius lay back down.

"Open your eyes," he demanded.

Albus did and saw Scorpius was looking down at him with his head propped on his hand. "Tell me why I wouldn't like the idea of having a gay friend. Theo and Bennett are gay, and I love them. And your Uncle Charlie, I've never had a problem with him."

"They aren't people you have to see at school. People you have to associate with; who might affect your popularity."

"You're more important than my popularity." This was the first time he'd ever said so, and Albus wondered if he truly believed it. "I wish you'd thought better of me. I can tell this has been bothering you for a while. You could have avoided a lot of needless worrying."

Scorpius laid back down on the pillow and turned so he was facing Albus. Albus kept his eyes trained on the dark sky above them.

"Do you want to talk about it some more?" he asked Albus.

"No."

They were both quiet for a long time and Albus focused on the sounds of the London streets below them in an effort to calm his nerves. He was glad, now, for the biting cold. It was a welcome distraction from thoughts of Scorpius. But after several moments, his mind kept drifting back to his friend. Albus could feel his eyes on him and slowly turned his head to meet his gaze.

His eyes were intense, but it was too dark for Albus to read any other emotions there. What was Scorpius thinking? Did he suspect that Albus liked him? Would he stop wanting to be alone with Albus like this?

"You don't believe me," Scorpius said eventually. "You're still worried. I can see it on your face."

Albus was certainly worried, but not for the reasons Scorpius thought. Though, he wasn't about to enlighten his friend. It was the first time in his whole life he'd kept something so big from Scorpius.

"I guess I deserve it a bit," Scorpius continued, returning to lay on his back. "I know I haven't been the best friend lately, but I'm going to be better, Albus. Okay? I promise."

This was usually when Albus would reassure Scorpius. He'd cut in and say, " _No, you're a great friend. Don't worry, I understand you've been going through a lot."_ Albus stayed quiet this time. He didn't feel like reassuring Scorpius right now. Maybe, tonight, it could be about Albus for once.

"The next time you have some big life event, I want to be the person you tell first."

Albus frowned. Did Scorpius really care about Albus and how he was feeling? Or was Scorpius just being competitive again? He probably didn't like the thought of losing to Nira.

"What?" Scorpius had noticed Albus's frown. Albus realized then, that his eyes were stung with tears and decided to leave. He wasn't in the right mood for this tonight. Albus sat up to go, but Scorpius caught his arm.

Albus shook it off. "Not now, Scor."

Scorpius sat up and grabbed Albus again, turning him to face him. "Yes, now. Please."

When Albus saw the look of desperation in Scorpius's eyes, he almost stayed. Why couldn't he say no to this wizard? Albus looked away from his face and down at Scorpius's hand on his arm, instead. "You're upset," Scorpius whispered. "Please, tell me why."

Albus bit his lip, then turned back to face Scorpius. "Why do you want to know? Is it me you're concerned about? Or are you just annoyed you may have dropped in rank in my list of close friends, and can't stand not being number one at something?"

Scorpius dropped Albus's arm and stepped back, looking wounded, but Albus couldn't help him right now. He was spent. He took a deep breath and said softly before beginning his descent down the side of the house, "Please, leave me alone, Scor."

When Albus got home, he realized he was still wearing Scorpius's cloak. He threw it into the corner of his bedroom, then after several moments of staring at it, he started to kick it. He was interrupted by a voice from the doorway.

"I never liked that cloak either."

Albus frozen. Shite. Of course Scorpius had followed him. And Albus's family had let him right in. Traitors. Whose side were they on?

"I asked you to leave me alone," Albus said to the wall in front of him, keeping his back to Scorpius. Scorpius didn't respond and Albus could hear him approaching.

He turned around, angry now. "I can probably count, on one hand, how many times I've ever asked you for anything, and you can't do this? Go, Scorpius!"

Scorpius looked hurt again, but Albus was past caring. All he knew was that he needed him to get out of his room, now. It was one thing talking to him outside in the dark, surrounded by an endless city. But here, in this small room, Scorpius's presence was filling all the available space and it was too much.

Albus was about to burst into tears. The emotions he'd been trying to suppress for months were finally coming at him in a rush and threatening to overtake him. He sat on the bed and dropped his head in his hands.

He needed Occlumency. Uncle Draco said he'd start teaching them next year. That was too far off. Albus needed to shut off his brain _now._

He felt the bed move, indicating Scorpius had taken a seat next to him. Great, he was sitting on his bed now. He'd probably lay down next and rub his scent all over Albus's pillow, since Scorpius seemed bound and determined to torture Albus tonight. Why was he still here?

"I'm not here to get you to forgive me, so I'll feel better," Scorpius said softly. "I'm here because I think you need me to be. Seeing you like this is painful, and if I was out for myself, I'd go back home where I don't have to see it. I'm hurting for you, Albus, and I want to help. Tell me how."

Albus rammed his palms into his eyes, painfully, to keep from crying. The pain he could hear in Scorpius's voice was affecting him. He should be glad Scorpius was feeling bad. Albus had been feeling bad for months, it was only fair Scorpius finally caught up. But his instinct wasn't to revel in Scorpius's discomfort, but to try to fix it. What was wrong with him? When had he become this pathetic?

"You want to help, Scor?" he said in a broken voice.

"Yes. Please. I'll do anything."

"Then go."

Scorpius sighed, but thankfully, he got up from the bed. When Albus heard the door close, he finally let the tears he'd been holding back fall. He shifted back on the bed and pulled his legs up, wrapping his arms tightly around them as he cried into his knees. That had been a complete disaster.

A few moments later, he felt a hand on his back and knew this time he wouldn't have the energy to make Scorpius go. He looked up, resigned, but it wasn't Scorpius. It was James.

"Move over," James whispered when he saw Albus looking at him.

Albus nodded to make room for James to sit on the bed. Tears were still falling down Albus's face and he was trying to get control of his sobs as he waited for James to say whatever he'd come in here to say. James didn't talk. All he did was pull Albus in for a hug. Albus started sobbing again into James's shoulder. James stayed quiet and just patted Albus's back until he was finished crying.

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

Scorpius didn't sleep that night. He'd sent James to check on Albus on his way out but had no idea if that was going to be enough. Albus needed him, clearly, but also didn't want him. And the worst part was, Scorpius knew he deserved it. This had been brewing for a while.

After their first year, when they'd found out about their fathers' roles in the war, Scorpius had punished Albus for having the better father, which wasn't his fault. Then later, he'd failed to stick up for Albus in front of his friends. When Albus had found out, he'd forgiven Scorpius almost immediately.

But Scorpius kept taking him for granted. What had Albus told him one time? _You treat me like shite because I let you._

Scorpius hadn't stopped taking out his frustrations on Albus, because he knew he would always be there. But finally, Albus had had enough. And now, when Albus was going through such an important thing, he hadn't gone to Scorpius. He hadn't trusted Scorpius to support him. And when he'd tried to be there for him, Albus didn't trust his motives.

Even now, as Scorpius tossed and turned in the bed, he knew was worrying about the wrong thing. He was agonizing over how bad a friend he'd been lately, when he should be worrying about Albus and what was hurting him. Again, Scorpius was making this about himself.

The next morning, his mum brought up Albus over breakfast. "I heard about Albus coming out. How is he doing, Scorpius?"

Scorpius looked down at his toast, ashamed he didn't know the answer to that question. He shrugged in response since he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Scorpius," his mum continued, her tone serious. "Our friends and family are progressive about this, but that will not be the case for many students at school. Particularly those from traditional pureblood families."

"Like Miriam and my other friends?" Scorpius snapped back at her.

His father put down his paper and Scorpius guessed he was probably about to scold him for speaking so rudely to his mum. His mum lifted her chin, unphased. "Yes, Scorpius. Albus will need your support when you return to school."

"And you think I wouldn't give that to him? Do you think so little of me?" Scorpius's voice cracked on the last line and he dropped his head again and took a deep breath. "I would never let anyone make fun of him for being gay."

His mum reached across the table and patted his arm. "Good," she said simply, before returning to the paper.

Scorpius left the table. He wasn't hungry, anyway. He returned to his bedroom and started pacing it anxiously. He tried to ignore the fact that his own parents thought just as Albus did, that he was a bad friend who was only out for himself. He focused on Albus, and what he needed. But there was nothing he could do. Albus had asked for one thing, for Scorpius to stay away, and all Scorpius could do was grant his wish and hope for Albus to come back to him.

After two days, with no word from Albus, Scorpius went to see Nira, hoping she would know what was going on. When he asked her what was wrong with Albus, she pointed out that coming out was a big deal and that that was likely stressing him out.

"No, there was something else. I could tell."

"Drop it, Scorpius. If Albus wants you to know, he'll tell you."

"So you _do_ know what it is!"

"I have a suspicion. And no, I'm not going to tell you what it is."

Then, Scorpius had told Nira the rest of it. How Albus had accused him of only wanting to help him for selfish reasons. She hadn't responded, but for the rest of the afternoon had had a very "I told you so," air that only made Scorpius feel worse.

He couldn't fault her for it though. She'd been telling Scorpius for years that he took Albus for granted and that one day, Albus would snap. She'd been right.

Another two days passed, and Scorpius felt lonelier than he ever had in his life. This was the first time he'd ever been faced with the prospect of losing Albus, and the thought of it caused a pain in his chest that he'd never felt before. He kept thinking about the anguish on Albus's face from a few nights before, how he'd snapped at Scorpius, and how at odds it was with his typical demeanor.

Albus was the even keeled one. Nothing phased him and he was always in a good mood. Scorpius was the moody one. Whatever had caused Albus to be so upset, must be really serious.

On the fifth day, Albus showed up at the house after lunch. Scorpius was doing homework on his bed, while his cat, Tornado, kept pawing at the long feather on his quill. When Scorpius first saw Albus in the doorway, he thought he was imagining it. But it was him, looking a bit tired, but otherwise the same as always.

"You look better," Scorpius said, as he closed his books and moved them onto the nightstand, then pushed Tornado off of the bed.

"I feel better," Albus said, moving to let an angry Tornado out of the room.

"Albus. I've been an awful friend and-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Albus cut him off.

Scorpius just nodded, unsure what to say. He didn't want to say the wrong thing and have him leave again.

Albus sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "If you want to be a better friend, Scor, just be one. We don't need to talk about it all the time."

Scorpius nodded again. He was about to ask Albus why he put up with him, but he caught himself. That was a self-serving question. Scorpius would ask him and Albus would say something sweet and reassuring and Scorpius would feel better; but now it was time for Scorpius to make Albus feel better.

The problem was, he didn't know what was wrong with him. Albus knew Scorpius so well but somewhere along the way, they'd stopped talking about Albus. Or maybe Scorpius had just stopped paying attention.

Scorpius shifted so he was sitting crossed-legged on the bed and watched Albus play with the hem on his shirt. "Can you please tell me about it?" Scorpius asked. "How did you know you were gay? How do you feel about it? What was it like telling your parents? I want to hear it all. Really."

Albus sighed. "Why do you want to know?"

"It occurred to me that I don't know you as well as I used to. And I want to, Albus. I've been missing you and didn't even realize it. Maybe, that's why I've been so grumpy lately."

"I think your bad mood has more to do with the company you _are_ keeping, than the company you're not." Albus turned to look at him and his green eyes were challenging.

Scorpius knew this was a test, and he was determined to pass. He let the jibe slide. "Please, tell me," he repeated. "Did you have the Agrippa card on you for support?" he added with a smirk.

Albus gave him a sad smile before getting up from the bed and leaning against the bookshelf. He turned toward the Night Viper dragon figurine that was still sitting next to the small dresser Scorpius had made with his gran. Albus prodded the dragon with his finger and Scorpius cocked his head as he watched him.

Scorpius had always thought of Albus as simple. For Albus, there wasn't a problem that couldn't be solved with a chocolate frog or a game of exploding snap. Scorpius had thought of himself, on the other hand, as mature and complicated. He'd been wrong. Albus was just as complicated as Scorpius and it was just one more thing Scorpius had missed.

When Albus finally looked back at him, he seemed so much older. Scorpius knew there was more going on than Albus realizing he was gay. He also knew Albus wasn't planning to tell him what it was.

"It was fine," Albus said eventually. "My parents were great. Everyone was great, actually. I'm very lucky. I know a lot of other gay people don't have such supportive families."

Scorpius continued to press him for information for the rest of the day. He didn't say anything about himself and for the first time, in a long while, Albus didn't ask about him. They were awkward together, and Scorpius felt on edge, but he was committed to fixing this. He reminded himself that he'd been in fights with Albus before (though none had felt quite this bad). Something had shifted between them and Scorpius was terrified they wouldn't be able to get it back to the way it was.

* * *

_Easter Break, Fourth Year_

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

It had taken about a month for Albus's news to make its way around the school. Scorpius knew he'd wanted to keep it quiet for longer, but he had way too many cousins and was too well-known for it to remain a secret for very long.

Scorpius was at Quidditch practice when he'd heard Seneca whisper something about "faggot" to Avery, their newest Chaser. They were only about ten feet in the air at the time, running drills, and Scorpius had turned sharply and rammed his broom into Seneca's, causing them both to fall to the ground.

Once there, Scorpius rolled over to where Seneca was and pinned him to the ground, pushing his forearm firmly against his neck to keep him from moving. Seneca had about twenty pounds on Scorpius, but it was clear that unlike Scorpius, he wasn't very practiced at wrestling the Muggle way. Scorpius had wrestled with James, Hugo, and Albus almost nonstop, while they were growing up.

"I hope you weren't talking about my best mate," Scorpius had snarled, pushing his arm harder against Seneca's neck. Moments later, their captain, Warren, was pulling Scorpius off of his teammate and threatening to kick him off the team if he attacked someone during practice again. The rest of the team had gathered to watch by then. Scorpius pulled out of Warren's grasp and turned to face them all.

"Good, you're all here, so I only have to say this once," he'd said. "I know Albus Potter, my best mate, is someone you all take great joy in teasing, and I've let it slide for too long. If I hear any more insults about him, from any Slytherin, I'm off the team."

Avery had argued that it was impossible for them to control their entire house, but Scorpius had just shrugged. "I trust you'll find a way. And to give you a little more motivation, I'm skipping practice for the rest of the week, so you can see what the team flies like without me."

He'd marched away then and kept to his promise to stay away for the next two practices, but couldn't help himself from watching from the Astronomy Tower. They were terrible without him, as expected. He was far and away the best flier on the team, and the only Chaser who had a chance at scoring against the other teams. The other two chasers had only ever run assistance for Scorpius and neither had the skill to take the lead.

Miriam told him, later, the team had talked and agreed to a plan to keep the house from taunting Albus. Then, she'd smirked and told him she thought he was bluffing and wouldn't be able to keep himself away from a real match. Scorpius had just shrugged and warned her not to test his resolve.

Whatever the team had come up with had worked, and no one in Slytherin said anything negative about Albus - to his face, or behind his back. Albus had been expecting the worst and was concerned when nothing happened. He'd confronted Scorpius about it, but Scorpius didn't tell him what he'd done.

He was trying to take Albus's advice about just being a good friend; rather than talking about being one all the time.

By the Easter break, Albus and Scorpius were mostly back to normal. It was Miriam who Scorpius was having problems with now. She was constantly complaining that he didn't spend enough time with her, but he saw her three times a week at Quidditch and spent half the day with her every time they had a Hogsmeade weekend. She said it wasn't enough. If they were a proper couple, they should eat together, study together, and spend most of the weekends together, too. That would take away from all the time Scorpius spent with Nira and Albus, though.

When Scorpius had brought this up with his friends, Albus had stayed silent (predictability) and Nira had pointed out that if Scorpius really liked Miriam, he'd want to spend all of his time with her. The fact that he preferred Nira and Albus and had never tried to bring Miriam around to hang out with them, was telling.

Scorpius had changed the conversation. It was true that he preferred Albus and Nira, but that didn't mean he didn't like Miriam. It was just different. He could be completely open with Albus and Nira and never had to be on guard, especially now that Albus and he were back to normal.

But Miriam made him feel special in a way that Nira and Albus never did. They just treated Scorpius like any ordinary person, but Miriam always told him how great he'd be one day. She was always pushing him and challenging him. He knew she could probably date anyone in their house, but she'd chosen him. You didn't just pass up someone like that.

His plan to make it up to Miriam was to take her to Teddy's wedding this weekend. He'd have all night with her and that would be a very proper boyfriend / girlfriend thing to do. When he'd told her, she'd laughed. "There is no way your parents are going to let me go to that. It's so cute how oblivious you can be, sometimes."

He hated when she talked down to him like this, like he was a child. Scorpius had argued that it wasn't their decision. She knew they hated her, but not why. She assumed it was the political thing and he let her think that, not wanting to tell her the real reason.

He was determined to prove her wrong and take her to that wedding, but, just as Miriam had predicted, his parents refused.

"You don't have a good reason for not letting me bring her, besides the fact that you don't like her." Scorpius was saying. They were eating dinner and this was his last chance to get his parents to change their minds, since the wedding was the next day.

"I have an excellent reason," his mum retorted. "She's a racist who thinks I'm scum."

"She isn't, Mum. I know her better than you-"

"I said, no. Stop asking."

"Why can't you-?"

"There's a new family rule, I've just decided," his mum announced to the table. "No one can bring a guest to a family wedding unless you are engaged to them."

She looked pointedly at his father and he nodded. "Sounds reasonable."

"No it doesn't!" Scorpius cried. "That rule makes no sense."

"I think it makes perfect sense," his mum said matter-of-factly. "There are always a lot of photos at weddings. It would be awkward, years later, to have an ex in the background. This is a good rule."

"Did you ever attend weddings with Uncle Ron?" His father winced slightly, like he always did when people talked about his mum dating other people.

"Or did you go to any weddings with Astoria?" Scorpius asked his father.

"I never went to a wedding with Astoria," his father said quickly.

"I did go to a couple weddings with Uncle Ron," his mum said thoughtfully, "but they were weddings each of us were invited to separately. So, I'll amend the rule, you can't bring a guest that would otherwise not be invited, unless you're engaged or married. See, Scorpius, I can be reasonable."

"Nothing about this is reasonable. I'm going to propose then. I'll go send an owl now." He stood up but his father grabbed his arm and pulled him back into his seat.

"Proposal by owl," Rose chimed in. "How romantic."

Scorpius ignored her.

"You complain about me being unreasonable, and that's your solution?" his mum asked. "I'm implementing a second family rule, then. No one is allowed to propose until after the age of 22."

"That's a number you pulled out of nowhere," Scorpius argued.

"Keep pushing, and it will become 32."

Scorpius heard Rose mutter to their father, "How many new rules do you think they'll get up to?"

"This is not a joke!" Scorpius cried, getting to his feet again. "This is my life and you all are ruining it!"

He marched to his bedroom and slammed the door. This was so unfair. He was about to be 15 and still wasn't allowed to make decisions about his own life. Miriam was never going to let Scorpius live this down.

Later that night, Scorpius decided to take one more shot at reasoning with his parents. Then, if this failed, he'd send a letter to Miriam letting her know he wouldn't be able to take her to the wedding. He frowned to himself as he imagined the look of triumph on her face as she read his letter.

He paused outside his parent's bedroom door, which was ajar, when he heard them speaking inside. He leaned in and listened intently.

His father was teasing his mum. "So these family rules. Should we post them somewhere? Maybe in the entryway, so everyone can see?"

"Shut up, Draco. It's not funny."

"Rose and I disagree."

Scorpius heard his mum sigh, then ask, "Am I being too harsh?"

 _Yes_ , Scorpius thought. "No, Hermione," his father responded. "I know it's possible for kids to be different from their parents, but I don't think that's the case here."

What were they talking about? How did they know Miriam's parents? Scorpius hadn't even met them. His father continued talking. "I can't believe they called me a blood traitor. Who says that anymore?"

His father had seen them? And they'd called him a blood traitor? When?

"A lot of people," his mum responded dejectedly. "I thought they wouldn't like him, because he's a half-blood."

"My father told me it hasn't affected our standing in society in the slightest. You know these purebloods are incredibly hypocritical. They can ignore a lot when there's this much gold involved."

"How was your trip to Hogwarts today? What did you learn?" his mum asked. Scorpius started. His father had gone to Hogwarts? He'd said he had business in Scotland, and Scorpius had thought it odd, since his father usually took off work when he was on breaks from school. He leaned closer so he could hear his father's response.

"I met with McGonagall and his head of house, the Potions professor, Knightly. They both said he's doing well. Top of his class, doing great in Quidditch, and spends most of his free time with Albus and Nira. McGonagall said, unless something drastically changes in the next few months, he'll be a prefect."

"What about the other Slytherins?"

"They said Miriam's group is nasty, but it doesn't seem like Scorpius spends much time with them. He's not a bully. But, they did say the older Slytherins treat him a bit like royalty. I know from experience how intoxicating that can be. But every time I try to talk to him about it, he tunes me out."

His parents were quiet and Scorpius was reeling from all that he'd learned. He had no idea his parents had been going behind his back and had his professors spying on him. "We're losing him," his mum whispered.

"No, we're not," his father reassured her. "He needs to figure this out on his own. And he's not alone. We've still got Albus in there keeping an eye on him. You remember that promise he made to me."

Scorpius clenched his fists hard. Albus was spying on him too? He could understand the adults, but Albus was supposed to be on _his_ side.

"So, Albus isn't caught up with any of these dark Slytherins?" _No_ , Scorpius thought.

"Potter's kid?" his father responded. "Never."

"I would have thought the same about my kid," his mum replied.

His father sighed. "That's certainly the Malfoy side coming through."

"Draco...that's not what I meant," his mum said, comfortingly. "I shouldn't have said that."

"It's fine."

"I think you should try to talk to him after the wedding. Explain what happened when you went to see Miriam's parents, and maybe talk about your own experiences overcoming all these prejudices some more."

Scorpius heard his father sigh deeply. "Yeah, you're right. I just hate revisiting the past. It will never be behind me, will it?"

"I'm so sorry, Draco," his mum whispered.

"Let's talk about something happier, like Rose. What's going on with her?"

His mum's tone was lighter when she spoke again. "Good idea. Oh! Did she show you that short story she wrote? It was the funniest thing. I have no idea where she comes up with this stuff."

"I haven't seen it."

Scorpius jumped when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, but saw it was a stack of parchment and figured his mum had summoned the story. He ran back to his room before he was discovered. When he got inside, he wanted to smash everything breakable, but he refrained, not wanting his parents to come into his room.

He felt so betrayed. Everyone in his life treated him like a small child. Even Albus, who he thought he could always count on, had been spying on him for his parents. After Scorpius had stuck up for him in front of the entire Quidditch team, this was how he repaid him?

Scorpius paced his room for a long time as he replayed his parents' conversation over and over again. Then when he eventually got in bed, his parents' voices kept playing in his head.

_We're losing him...we've got Albus keeping an eye on him...let's talk about something happier, like Rose._

* * *

** Albus Potter **

When Albus first saw Scorpius the day of Teddy's wedding, he knew immediately he was in a bad mood. Albus sighed to himself. Why did he like this git? He was the moodiest person Albus had ever encountered.

It was too bad Scorpius was feeling down today. If he wasn't frowning so much, he'd look quite handsome. His grey-blue blue dress robes looked very good on him. _Get a grip, Albus._

After watching Teddy try to cheer him up, then get rejected, Albus pulled Scorpius outside.

"What is wrong with you?"

"None of your fucking business."

Albus sighed. "Is this because your parents wouldn't let you bring Miriam, today?"

Scorpius crossed his arms. "Don't act like you don't already know. I'm sure you and my parents discussed it during your daily debrief meeting about me."

Albus cocked his head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I know you spy on me and report back to my parents. I heard my father telling my mum about it. Something about a promise you made him."

Albus rolled his eyes. "You're delusional. Of course I don't spy on you and report back to your parents. And that promise thing is nothing. After first year, when you were really upset about your father, he approached me and asked me what was wrong with you. I didn't tell him. I told him I wouldn't betray your trust. Then, he asked me to promise that if you were ever truly in danger, I'd go to him. That's it. That's the big promise."

"Really?" Scorpius asked, doubtfully.

"Really. I've never reported anything to your father. Now, can you stop being sullen and try to enjoy the day? This is Teddy we're talking about. Your favorite cousin."

"My only cousin."

"It doesn't matter. He loves you so much he put you in the wedding. He didn't even do that for me and James. So try not to muck it up by scowling all day. This can be fun, if you let it."

Scorpius relaxed slightly, but didn't smile. At least he wasn't scowling anymore. That was probably the best Albus was going to get. "Come on," he pulled Scorpius back into the house. "Let's go see if the groom needs anything."

* * *

Later, Albus was dancing with Victoire when she asked after Scorpius.

"He's fine," Albus waved her off. She shouldn't have to worry about him on her wedding day. "He's just being a moody teenager today."

After that dance, Albus scanned the tent and noticed Scorpius was nowhere to be seen, so he went looking for him. On his way, he passed a drunk James and took the opportunity to slip his wand out of his pocket. James had come of age a few days ago and had been lording his newfound ability to do magic anytime he wanted, over Albus. He had been meaning to steal James's wand all night, so he could hide it once they returned home.

It was a good thing he'd taken the wand, because it was a big help in locating Scorpius. He was at the edge of the yard, sitting alone on a bench. Once Albus saw that Scorpius was safe, he almost turned back. He was growing tired of his friend's moods. And why was it always on Albus to cheer him up? But Albus knew if he walked away now, he'd just worry about Scorpius endlessly and be unable to enjoy the reception.

Albus approached slowly and when he took a seat on the bench, Scorpius grumbled, "I don't want to talk."

_Yeah, I don't want to talk to you either, git. I'd prefer to be celebrating, but I'm stuck here with you, instead._

"Fine. We can sit here in silence."

After a while, Scorpius turned back to the tent and scowled. "Your family is so loud."

Albus decided not to point out that a number of the people in that tent were his family, too. He slipped James's wand out of his pocket. "I'll do that spell your father taught us. The bubble of silence."

Albus was about to cast the spell when Scorpius took the wand from him. "I'll do it. That way it will actually stick."

Albus grabbed the wand back and cast the ward quickly. A silver wall of mist appeared around the bench and the noises from the wedding disappeared. Before Scorpius could say anything, Albus stood up and said, " _Expecto Patronum!"_ His unicorn Patronus burst out of the wand and started running circles around the bench, keeping within the walls of the ward Albus had created.

Scorpius's eyes widened in shock. "Is that a Patronus?"

Albus nodded, smugly.

"Your Patronus is a unicorn? That's one of the rarest ones. And since when can you conjure one? Why didn't you tell me?" The unicorn had stopped next to Albus and dipped its head in greeting. Albus nodded back at it, before waving James's wand to send it away.

He shrugged and turned back to Scorpius. "It's not surprising I have a rare Patronus, since everyone is always saying how odd I am."

"Why didn't you tell me you could make one?" Scorpius repeated his earlier question.

"I've been able to make it since last year. I hid it from you because I know how irritating you find it when I beat you in things, and I didn't want to cause a fight. But I'm very good at spells, and I've just been pretending otherwise, to make you feel better."

Scorpius cocked his head in confusion.

"Well, I'm done with that now," Albus continued, the words pouring out of his mouth now. "With O.W.L.s next year, I need to get more serious about classes. Who knows?" he added with a grin, "Maybe, I'll give you competition for head of the class next year."

Scorpius snorted. "Do you suddenly know how to read now, too?"

It took all of Albus's restraint not to hex him right then, but it wouldn't be fair, since Scorpius was unarmed. Instead, he turned and walked away.

"Shite. Albus, sorry. Come back. I didn't mean-"

Albus turned to face Scorpius. "I told you I was done letting you put me down so you can feel better about yourself. Find another way to cheer yourself up."

"You're right," Scorpius said, his eyes filled with contrition. "Give me one more chance. If I do it again, you can hex me."

Albus looked down at the wand in his hand. "I can hex you right now. You're unarmed."

"But you won't. Because you're the nicest person in the whole world." Scorpius sighed and sat back down on the bench. "Can I tell you something?"

Albus stayed standing. "Fine."

Scorpius started talking about the conversation he'd overheard his parents having about him. When Albus realized this was going to be a long story, he returned to his seat on the bench. At the end, Scorpius dropped his head in his hands. "You should have heard them talking about me," Albus thought he heard tears in his voice. "It was like I'm some repulsive pet they didn't know how to tame and didn't particularly want anymore, either."

Albus sighed and placed a comforting hand on his back. He felt Scorpius taking deep breaths and guessed he was trying to keep from crying. Albus pulled him against his side.

"Come on, Scor. I know your parents, and they are obsessed with you. I'm sure it wasn't as bad as you're saying."

Scorpius straightened and Albus dropped his arm. He saw him wiping his eyes out of his periphery and kept his gaze forward. "Scor?"

"Yeah?"

"You know what I think your problem is?"

"No. What?"

Albus turned to face him. "You're getting pulled in a lot of different directions. People want you to be head of the class, popular, a Quidditch star, a good friend, a good boyfriend, an imposing head of the Malfoy family, a proper pureblood, spokesperson for Muggleborns...do you know what I mean?"

Scorpius nodded. "Well, you need to figure out which of those _you_ want. Out of all the possibilities, what do you want? Then go for that and try your best to ignore the rest."

Scorpius considered this, then frowned. "That's easy for you to say. No one is expecting anything from you."

Albus stood up to leave. "No! I didn't mean-"

Albus turned around and shot the strongest stinging hex at Scorpius he could manage. It hit him on the thigh, and he cried out in pain and dropped to the ground. Albus smirked, then turned back toward the tent.

Scorpius cursed loudly. Albus had walked about ten feet before turning to look at Scorpius. He was hobbling back to the bench and looked incredibly pathetic. Albus sighed heavily before going to join him.

"You weren't kidding about being good at spells," he muttered when Albus was at his side.

"I also wasn't kidding about hexing you," Albus retorted.

Scorpius hung his head in shame. Albus grabbed his arms and shook him. "Come on, Scor! Stop wallowing! You're so incredibly lucky, don't you see? Your parents are amazing, you're naturally talented at pretty much everything you do, you're rich, good-looking, charming, well-liked. You have amazing friends (like me). Stop feeling so sorry for yourself! And _stop_ treating me like your idiotic sidekick, who just exists to make you feel better!"

Scorpius was quiet, then Albus said in a soft voice, "I'm always telling you that you push yourself too hard, and that you're already incredible, and that you shouldn't waste your time with anyone who doesn't already see that. I guess I should probably take my own advice."

Albus turned to leave, for the last time, he told himself, but Scorpius grabbed his hand. "Wait."

Albus shrugged it off. He'd taken enough from Scorpius tonight. Maybe they could try again tomorrow. He walked back to the tent and made it about halfway before Scorpius grabbed his arm. Albus stopped in place but didn't turn around. "What?"

"I know you're incredible."

Albus sighed, then crossed his arms and turned around. He smiled inwardly when he saw that Scorpius was standing lopsided, obviously trying to keep his weight off of the leg Albus had hexed. "Tell me why I'm incredible. I'm always listing your good qualities for you. I just did it again less than a minute ago. But you've never done that for me. So, go on."

Scorpius hesitated and Albus snorted and turned back to the tent, but Scorpius grabbed his arm again and started talking in a rush. "Not only are you apparently really good at magic, but you're the most positive person I know. You see the best in everyone and are always in a good mood. You're patient, like, ridiculously patient. You're kind, clever, funny, uhh…" he paused, racking his brain. "Polite, humble, the best at exploding snap, since you're so even-keeled, you have a crazy good memory, you're the only person who can stand watching those awful nature documentaries with my mum - but I guess that's just polite and patient again."

"Okay, that's enough. You're clearly reaching now."

Scorpius shifted and Albus saw him wince in pain. He felt a little bad, but not bad enough to offer to heal his leg. "I want to tell you something," Scorpius said.

Albus nodded for him to continue.

"When you said I need to figure out what I want to be doing, out of all those possibilities, do you know what popped into my head first?"

"No. I don't know Legilimency," Albus snapped.

Scorpius sighed before continuing. "The only thing I really want to be doing, at any given moment, is playing exploding snap and eating chocolate frogs with you."

Albus could hear the sincerity in his voice, and that was the reason he decided to forgive Scorpius for his earlier insults.

"I'm sorry I've been so awful. I am trying to get better. And I'm also sorry you felt like you had to pretend to be bad at magic for me."

Albus bit his lip and turned toward the tent. He didn't want to have a heavy conversation now. He wanted to enjoy this wedding. He looked back at Scorpius and smiled. "This is how you can make it up to me. Come back to the party and dance, drink some butterbeer, apologize to Teddy and Victoire for being so sullen all day. After an hour, we'll go to my mum's old room and play exploding snap and eat chocolate frogs. Then, you can help me decide where to hide this wand. Deal?"

He held his hand out and Scorpius smirked, then shook it firmly. "Deal. But we may need to amend it slightly. I don't think I can dance after that incredibly powerful stinging hex you hit me with."

Albus laughed heartily and after a few seconds, Scorpius joined in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Scorbus is beginning to form in the middle of all this teenage angst. But we only have Albus on board now and need to work on Scorpius next. Good thing we still have three years left. Also, this story has taught me something about myself - I am incapable of writing a short story. I committed to keeping this to just seven chapters, but my chapters are becoming ginormous. Oh well.
> 
> Thanks so much to my beta readers Lancashire Witch and Kimmeh B. Come see me on Tumblr at Alexandra-Emerson.
> 
> Then next chapter will be posted Sat, Feb-6 and it's over 15K words. Get excited!


	5. Fifth Year

**Chapter 5 - Fifth Year**

* * *

_Summer before Fifth Year_

* * *

** Albus Potter **

"Why do you need to stay over here, again?" Albus asked, as he watched Scorpius fasten his cloak and check his pockets for the fifth time. What was he checking for? What could he possibly need besides his wand? Albus figured he was just nervous.

"I can't be home when I sneak out tonight. I already told you. With Rose in France with my grandparents, my parents have only me to keep an eye on. We already know they're committed to spying on me,"- Albus rolled his eyes, but Scorpius didn't notice, - "so they might check in on me in the middle of the night and will flip out if I'm not there. They probably have a trace on me or something. I wouldn't put it past my mum to use her influence at the Ministry to-"

"Enough of the conspiracy theories, I get it." Albus interrupted, growing tired of Scorpius's endless tirades about how his parents treated him like a baby.

"No luck on the invisibility cloak?" Scorpius asked.

Albus shook his head. "It's James's turn to use it, and I didn't have a good excuse for needing it, since we're on break." This was a lie. It _was_ James's turn to use the cloak, but Albus had stolen it out of his trunk earlier today. Albus wasn't going to give the cloak to Scorpius though, because he was planning to use it himself tonight, to follow him.

"You still have no idea what this whole thing is about?" Albus asked.

"You worry too much," Scorpius responded in an irritated tone. "It's going to be fine. I think Miriam is trying to prove a point, after the wedding, that I'm a small child who has no control over my life. I'm pretty sure this was just a ploy to embarrass me."

"Lovely girlfriend," Albus grumbled.

"She has her moments. Anyway, once I prove that I can escape my house, and with my wand," he waved his wand in his hand, "I think that will be the end of it. After that, we'll probably just mess around for a few hours, then I'll come back here, and no one will be the wiser."

"Why can't you mess around and prove your independence in the daylight? This all seems really shady."

Scorpius shrugged and checked his pockets again, then his watch. "Okay, it's time."

He pointed his wand toward the closed door of Albus's bedroom and cast _Hominem Revelio._ Albus wished he had his wand, but it was at Scorpius's house, in Uncle Draco's study. It would have been too much of a risk to try to get it, especially without Scorpius's help.

Scorpius was checking the results of his spell and after confirming that all of Albus's family members were in their rooms, he nodded at Albus and carefully opened his bedroom door. Albus sighed one last time before following Scorpius downstairs into the drawing room.

Scorpius made a small fire with his wand, then looked at the clock before picking up a pile of Floo powder. It was a few minutes until midnight. Albus had snorted when he heard Miriam wanted Scorpius to meet them promptly at midnight. It was so cliché.

Albus's grandma said nothing good happened after midnight. Obviously, Miriam hadn't gotten that memo. Scorpius turned to Albus and said, "Wish me luck," before throwing the powder into the flames, speaking the address Miriam had given him, and walking into the fireplace.

Albus counted to fifty, then went to the hall closet and got his cloak. He put it on quickly and removed the invisibility cloak from the pocket he'd stashed it in earlier as he walked back to the drawing room. He hesitated before grabbing the Floo powder. It felt wrong going somewhere unknown and potentially dangerous without a wand. He considered trying to steal James's wand, but it was too late. That would take too long, and Scorpius might be gone if he didn't follow him soon.

Albus put the invisibility cloak on, then repeated the address Scorpius had said before walking into the green flames. He almost ran into Seneca when he emerged from the other side, swerving just in time to avoid colliding with his large frame. Albus smiled to himself as he pressed his back against the wall and checked that the cloak was still covering him, proud of his uncharacteristically nimble move. Clearly, adrenaline made him graceful. Who knew?

They were in a dark, elegantly decorated room with large windows. Scorpius was at the other side of the room, talking to Seneca, Warren, Miriam, and two sixth years Albus didn't know, in a circle. Warren was telling Scorpius how none of them thought he'd come. Scorpius rolled his eyes and looked toward Albus.

Albus froze, wondering if Scorpius knew he was there. Then he noticed there was a clock on the wall next to him and guessed that's where Scorpius had been looking. Now Seneca was saying how they had something special planned for Scorpius tonight. Scorpius shrugged, looking bored, but Albus could tell he was nervous. He kept shifting his wand from one hand to the other, but it was subtle. Albus didn't think anyone else would pick up on it.

Albus followed the group outside and hung back as they approached a forest at the edge of the property. As soon as they crossed the boundary into the forest, Albus could tell it was magical. Where were they? The address hadn't given much away. He didn't even know whose house this was. And now he was walking through a magical forest with no wand. The things he did for Scorpius.

He kept reaching for his wand in the pocket of his cloak, where he usually kept it, before remembering that he didn't have it on him. All he had was his Agrippa chocolate frog card. That wouldn't be much help if things turned bad tonight, which Albus had a terrible feeling they would. At least he had the invisibility cloak, so he wasn't completely defenseless. And hopefully Scorpius would help him if it came to that.

Albus cringed as he walked behind the group and watched Scorpius. He was different with these friends. He was mean, eager to chime in with witty statements here and there, as the rest of the group made cruel jokes about people who Scorpius probably knew nothing about. Scorpius looked obnoxious too and was walking with an arrogant swagger Albus had never seen before. And the way he lazily draped an arm around Miriam made Albus a little sick.

Albus realized he'd finally found a cure for his crush on Scorpius. All he had to do was watch him spending time with these Slytherins, because this version of Scorpius was truly revolting. If tonight didn't completely cure him of his feelings for Scorpius, he'd just need to follow him a few more times, then that should do the trick.

Albus wondered how this felt for Scorpius. Was it hard to behave so differently from his natural self? Was it stressful? Did it take a lot of energy? No wonder he was so grumpy all the time. But the biggest question that Albus couldn't answer was why he was going to all this trouble. Was he really that desperate to be popular?

After about two miles of walking, the group stopped. Albus had to catch himself before he ran into one of the girls near the back. He crept several paces from the edge of the group and stopped by a large tree before peering into the clearing in front of them. There were about a dozen winged horses, calmly grazing in the moonlight.

Albus heard Seneca tell someone they were Abraxans. _Wrong,_ Albus thought. These were much too small to be Abraxans. Clearly, Seneca hadn't taken Care of Magical Creatures. These were Aethonans. Albus could tell by their smaller size and chestnut coats.

These creatures were well-known as being easy to tame, due to their calm demeanor. They were prevalent throughout Britain and Ireland, but Hagrid had said there were none around Hogwarts, since they were scared off by the Thestrals. Albus was excited to tell Hagrid that he'd encountered some when he was back at school, since he'd only ever seen them in his text book before now.

Albus was surprised that this herd of Aethonans didn't seem alarmed by the group of Slytherins, who were not trying to be quiet. Albus guessed it fit in with what the texts said about them. Would they fly off if someone tried to approach them? Or would they let themselves be mounted? Is that what Miriam and her friends had planned?

Albus turned back to face the group of wizards. They were talking in low voices and everyone seemed to be focusing on Scorpius. Albus couldn't hear what they were saying and was about to creep closer, when Scorpius said in a louder voice, "Fine, I'll do it. Just shut up."

Albus watched him walk a few paces into the clearing and hold his wand up. He saw his arm shaking slightly. _What are you about to do, Scor?_

Scorpius said a long incantation, but nothing happened. The group behind him burst into laughter. "I knew he was too weak," Albus heard someone say. His eyes were on Scorpius though. He watched him set his jaw and lift his chin.

 _Don't listen to them, Scor,_ Albus urged silently. _Just walk away._ Scorpius didn't walk away, and Albus never really expected him to. He took a few more steps toward the closest Aethonan and lifted his wand before speaking again. This time, the spell worked.

The winged horse screamed out in pain and the group went completely silent. Albus watched in horror as several angry slashes appeared upon its body. He realized after a few seconds they were cuts, like it was getting severed with multiple invisible knives. The rest of the herd neighed in protest before escaping into the sky.

Scorpius stepped backward, but otherwise seemed to be frozen in shock. He watched, motionless, as the animal he'd struck continued to cry out, as more slashes appeared. It was almost completely covered in blood now, and Albus had to keep from vomiting.

 _Do something, Scorpius. Stop the spell!_ Albus silently urged him. Scorpius turned back to the group and Miriam gave him a wicked smirk. The horse had laid down and its cries had subsided into low moans. When it was clear Scorpius wasn't going to do anything, Albus pulled the cloak off and ran toward him.

He pushed Scorpius as soon as he reached him. He wanted to do worse, but he didn't have his wand. "What the hell is wrong with you? Stop the spell, now!"

Albus's sudden appearance seemed to snap Scorpius out of his trance and he turned back to Miriam. Albus heard a few people laughing about how Scorpius had invited his boyfriend but ignored them. "It's dying!" Albus motioned back to the horse. "What's the counter spell?"

Miriam continued to smirk, and just shrugged. "Calm down, Potter. It's just a horse. Let's go, Scorpius."

Albus didn't wait for Scorpius to respond. He pulled his wand out of his hand and ran into the clearing where the horse was still moaning. There were still new cuts appearing all over its body, but there wasn't much blood coming out of them anymore. Albus tried a few healing charms, but nothing he knew would stop the cuts from forming.

He stopped and took a deep breath. He wasn't going to be able to heal this, but he could make the horse more comfortable. He moved toward the Aethonan's head and cast the strongest pain relief charm he could manage. It was difficult with a different wand, but he pushed as hard as he could, desperate to do something to help.

"You're okay," he whispered to the creature. "I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve this. But it will all be over soon." The winged horse started to relax and Albus stroked its bloody mane. It was several more moments before the life went out of the creature's eyes. Albus dropped the spell and carefully closed the horse's eyes before standing up.

The group was gone except for Scorpius, who was standing in the same spot Albus had left him, staring in shock at the dead animal.

Albus walked over to where he'd thrown off the invisibility cloak and stuffed it in his pocket before going to join Scorpius. He had no idea what to say. Albus wanted to punch him, but the look of devastation on his friend's face stopped him. He put a hand on his shoulder instead. "Let's go, Scor."

Scorpius shrugged Albus off, then walked slowly toward the creature he'd killed. He turned away and began vomiting, violently. When he was done, Albus went to his side again. "We need to go, Scorpius. Maybe we can come back and bury her in the daylight, but it's too dangerous for us to be out here now. Especially since I don't know where the others went," Albus said insistently. He looked around and was relieved to find they were still alone.

Scorpius ignored him and walked closer to the winged horse, then crouched in front of it. "It's a her? I killed her."

_I know, Scor. I was there. But now is not the time to stay and linger._

"It's time for us to leave," Albus repeated for the third time. Scorpius ignored him again. Albus watched him bend forward until his forehead was almost touching the ground and began to sob. Albus leaned next to him and tried to pull him up, but Scorpius wouldn't move.

Albus sighed and began pacing the clearing. As he began running through their options, he realized that even if he could convince Scorpius to leave with him, there was nowhere for them to go. It was too dangerous to go back to the house. The others were likely there, and they all had wands, while Scorpius and Albus just had one. They also knew dark magic, and Albus didn't want to duel them.

They couldn't apparate and didn't have brooms, and it was obvious the winged horses weren't going to come back and let them ride them away. Even if that did happen, Albus had no idea where in England they were. They needed help.

He walked a few paces from Scorpius and tried to cast a Patronus. It took him three times to get his unicorn to appear. He wondered if it was so hard because he was sad or because he was using a foreign wand. Maybe a mixture of both. The unicorn looked at him expectantly, but he hesitated. He knew you could send messages with a Patronus but didn't know how it worked.

"I need you to go to Uncle Draco," he told the unicorn. "Draco Malfoy. He lives in London at 44 Knotsburrow Lane. Tell him that we need help, me and Scorpius, but that I have no idea where we are."

As he talked, he felt panic rising in his chest as the hopelessness of their situation became more apparent. "The address for the Floo was Loftware Cottage, but we're a few miles from there, in a forest. Tell him, I'm scared and don't know what to do, but that we're not hurt."

The unicorn gave him one nod before galloping in a circle, then flying away. Albus sat on the grass, unsure how that was possibly going to do any good. Now Uncle Draco would just be worried and have no way to get to them. Hopefully, Scorpius's theory about his parents having a trace on him was right and they'd know just how to find them; though Albus knew it was unlikely.

After several moments, Aunt Hermione's otter Patronus appeared. Her voice was urgent when it came out of the silver otter's mouth. "Albus. There is a spell you can use to find your coordinates. It's easy. Go outside and point your wand toward Mars, then say 'Find me.' Two numbers will appear. Send another Patronus with those numbers and we'll be able to come help."

Albus tried the spell and two long, gold numbers appeared in the air. _Great_ , _our rescue is going to depend on me reading a series of long numbers,_ Albus thought to himself.

"Scorpius, I need your help," he called back toward the spot where Scorpius was still crouched next to the creature's body. He didn't appear to be sobbing anymore, but didn't seem to register Albus's words, either. Albus guessed he was in shock.

He turned back to the gold numbers. Scorpius wasn't going to be able to help him. He was on his own. All he had to do was focus on getting these numbers to Uncle Draco and Aunt Hermione. Then they would come fix all of this.

Albus went slowly so he wouldn't mess it up. He sent the numbers over three Patronuses, but by the last one, he couldn't get the spell to work. He took a deep breath and thought about Scorpius, and how good it would feel when they were both back at home and safe. When his unicorn appeared, he felt immediately light-headed and almost passed out. He dropped to his knees and took several deep breaths before casting the _Find Me_ spell one last time.

He gave the unicorn the remaining numbers, then as he watched it fly away into the sky, he felt himself falling toward the ground, as if in slow motion. Everything was fading and before he felt himself hit the ground, he'd lost consciousness.

* * *

"He's dead."

"He's not dead. You can feel his pulse. And I showed you the diagnostic spell. He's going to be fine. He just needs rest."

"He wouldn't wake up. I tried _Renervate_ over and over again. This is all my fault."

It took Albus several moments to place the voices. It was Scorpius and his mum. As he focused on them, he began to notice other sensations. Someone was laying on his chest, probably Scorpius, and they were arguing. Aunt Hermione was trying to get Scorpius out of the room and said he needed to tell them how all this had happened, but Scorpius kept insisting on staying with Albus.

"Fine. We'll stay in here," Aunt Hermione said. "But you need to tell us what happened."

"Not until he wakes up." Scorpius wasn't laying across Albus's chest anymore but was clutching his hand tightly instead. Albus tried hard to squeeze back but couldn't make his muscles obey.

Then, Albus felt a weight on his side and pictured Scorpius laying his forehead on him. Albus could feel him shaking with sobs. He wanted so badly to move, or wake up, so he could reassure Scorpius that his mum was right, and that he was okay. But he couldn't do anything but listen.

"Hermione, we need to wake him up," Uncle Draco was speaking now. "Just to show him-"

"No, Draco. Albus needs rest more than anything right now. We both know _Renervate_ didn't work because he's completely drained of energy."

"We can give him a Rejuvenation potion. It'll give him a few hours of energy, just so we can reassure Scor that everything is okay, then we'll let Albus sleep for as long as he needs."

Aunt Hermione was silent and Albus could picture her biting her lip.

"Look at him," Uncle Draco continued in a low voice. "He's hysterical, and we're not going to get anything out of him until he sees that Albus is fine."

 _Yes, do what he says, Aunt Hermione,_ Albus thought. He wanted to wake up and help Scorpius.

"Fine," she eventually said.

Several moments later, Albus felt a potion being poured into his mouth. It tasted sweet and took a few moments to work its way through his body. First, he opened his eyes, but his limbs were still stiff and immobile.

He was laying on Scorpius's bed. Aunt Hermione and Uncle Draco were on one side of the bed, watching him with concern. Scorpius was sitting on a chair on the other side of the bed. He currently had his head bent down, laying on Albus's side, while he clutched Albus's right hand with both of his hands.

When Albus finally had enough energy, he lifted his left hand and patted Scorpius on the shoulder. "I'm fine, Scor. I'm fine," he whispered.

Scorpius's head shot up and he looked at Albus in disbelief. His eyes were red from crying. He lunged at Albus and hugged him, tightly. Albus just patted his back awkwardly and waited for Scorpius to let him go. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry," Scorpius kept repeating, over and over again.

"Scorpius. Albus is fine," his mum gently pulled Scorpius off of Albus. "We need to let him rest now, and you can tell us what happened tonight." Scorpius finally let go of Albus's hand, then straightened in his chair. Albus could tell he was terrified.

With Scorpius out of the way, Uncle Draco took the opportunity to help Albus up to a sitting position before checking him with a few diagnostic spells. His face was blank, but Albus could see a storm of emotions in his grey eyes. His voice was flat when he spoke. "I guess that was a pretty alarming way to wake up. Sorry about that, Albus. You are going to be just fine. You passed out from exhaustion. All those Patronuses you sent across the country, in addition to whatever other magic you did, and with a different wand. That was an impressive amount of spellwork for an underage wizard, but it completely drained you of energy."

Finally finished with the diagnostic spells, Uncle Draco stood up and looked to Scorpius. "As you can see, Albus is fine. Let's leave him alone so he can rest. Then, you can finally tell us what happened."

"Wait," Albus cut in. "It was a Rejuvenation potion you gave me, right?"

Aunt Hermione nodded.

"It's going to keep me up for at least two hours, so even if you leave now, I won't be able to sleep. We can tell you what happened together. We were both there."

Uncle Draco looked like he was about to refuse, but Aunt Hermione placed a hand on his arm. Albus guessed that she, like him, could see how broken Scorpius was and how clear it was that he needed a friend right now. She conjured two chairs for her and Uncle Draco and Scorpius sat back down. Albus took his hand again and Scorpius mouthed, "Thank you."

"Okay, Scorpius, go ahead," Uncle Draco said.

Scorpius opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. After the second time, Albus started talking for him. He explained the plan to sneak out and meet the Slytherins. When he told the story, he pretended that he and Scorpius were going together, and not that he had followed Scorpius without him knowing. He was vague about the part leading up to Scorpius casting the spell, since he hadn't heard the conversation that led to that moment. Then, after he explained the spell and what it did, Uncle Draco stopped him.

"What was the incantation?"

"I didn't hear," Albus said, but Uncle Draco was looking at Scorpius.

He hung his head and looked at the bed as he said, " _Sectumsempra_."

Uncle Draco hitched his breath and Aunt Hermione swore, which she never did. Scorpius looked up, carefully. "You know it?"

Uncle Draco's face went completely blank. "I know it."

Albus was about to start talking again when Uncle Draco asked his son another question, "Did you know what it would do?"

Scorpius shook his head quickly, then looked back down. "I knew the Latin - always cutting, or severing, but I never -" when he looked back at his father, his eyes were pleading. "I never imagined…" his voice trailed off.

Uncle Draco nodded sadly before asking, "Did you know before you cast it, that it was Dark Magic?"

"Of course not," Albus cut in. "He was tricked. It was Miriam and the other Slytherins, they took advantage. Scorpius would never do Dark Magic knowingly."

Uncle Draco ignored him and was studying Scorpius, who was looking down again, at the hand that was holding Albus's. He nodded slowly. "The first time I cast it, I didn't know. But it didn't work, and they all laughed. They were saying they weren't surprised that I couldn't cast Dark Magic, because I was weak and pathetic."

Albus pulled his hand away, horrified. "You knew?! Why didn't you leave? Why did you go through with the spell?"

"Because I'm not as strong as you, Albus!" Scorpius snapped. He looked over at his parents, ashamed, before crying softly into his hands. "And now I'm going to lose everything," he said through his tears. "You aren't going to want to be my friend anymore. And Father, and Mum, you're never going to trust me again, or respect me. All because of some stupid dare."

Albus saw Aunt Hermione stand and move toward Scorpius, but Albus reached him first. He wrapped his arms around his friend and propped his chin on his shoulder. "You're not going to lose me, Scor," Albus said calmly. "And your parents, well, your father did worse in the war, so it would be hypocritical of him not to forgive you. And your mum forgave him, so she'll do the same for you too."

Albus lifted his head and looked over at Uncle Draco and Aunt Hermione, giving them an apologetic look for speaking for them, but they just nodded at him. Scorpius pulled away from Albus and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

"He's right," his mum said. "Of course we're going to forgive you. I already have."

"Me too," Uncle Draco added.

"But I'm a Dark wizard now," Scorpius said in a weak voice. "I killed a magical creature. Am I going to have to go to Azkaban?"

Aunt Hermione shook her head. "No," she said kindly. "You're not of age, and well, given the circumstances, and the fact that we have some friends in the Auror office, you'll be forgiven this one indiscretion."

"That doesn't mean there won't be a cost, Scor," Uncle Draco said. His face was still blank, but his eyes were sad.

"What?" Scorpius asked.

Aunt Hermione looked down and Albus saw a few tears fall into her lap. Uncle Draco noticed and wrapped an arm around her and whispered something into her ear. He sighed before turning back to Scorpius.

"You killed an innocent creature with Dark Magic. There will be a toll, something you'll hold in your heart for the rest of your life. You may already be starting to feel it."

Scorpius looked devastated, then he nodded. Albus wanted to ask what it felt like, and if it hurt. But before he could, Uncle Draco stood and crossed the room, then pulled Scorpius up from the chair and enveloped him in a tight hug.

"I am so sorry," Uncle Draco whispered. "You're going to be okay, though. I promise. It feels awful now, but one day this will be a distant memory. You'll get past this."

Uncle Draco guided Scorpius to the other side of the room, to where Aunt Hermione was standing. She hugged Scorpius, then pulled him into the hall. Albus heard her telling him that he could sleep in Rose's room tonight.

Uncle Draco turned back to Albus and took a seat on the edge of the bed. He finally dropped the mask of indifference he'd been wearing all night and the haunted expression that was left behind caused Albus's heart to clench. He placed a hand on Albus's shoulder.

"I don't want to know what would have happened if you hadn't been there tonight. And I don't for a second believe you were supposed to be there from the start. You followed him with your father's cloak, didn't you?"

Albus nodded.

"Thank you," he said earnestly, before dropping his head. "When we first arrived, and I saw you lying there, covered in blood - before I put together what had happened, I thought -" he paused to take a deep breath and when he looked back at Albus, his eyes were brimming with tears. "It was the most scared I've ever been, which is saying quite a lot."

"I'm okay, Uncle Draco."

He nodded and gave Albus's shoulder a final squeeze before standing up. When he reached the door, Albus called him back.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I think Scorpius should stay in here tonight, with me. He shouldn't be alone."

"He won't be alone," Uncle Draco said as he shook his head. "We'll be just across the hall."

"But-"

"No, Albus. You need to rest. We shouldn't have woken you up. Honestly, what I really should do is take you home, but I know your father will question you all over again and there's nothing to be done about all this now. I'll take you home in the morning, after you've had a chance to sleep."

"But Scorpius needs me," Albus argued.

"He'll be fine."

"No offense, but I know him better than you. He's broken and beating himself up and he needs to get this all out. He needs someone who will listen to him, and reassure him, and I know he'll talk to me and-"

"No, Albus. You cannot do that," Uncle Draco said sharply. He walked back into the room and closed the door. "You cannot discuss this night with Scorpius. Not tonight, and not later. Do you understand?"

Albus shook his head. "I don't. So unless you explain it to me, I'm going to try everything I can to help my friend feel better."

Uncle Draco sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, I'll tell you. But then I'm going to lock you in here and you're going to sleep, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

After Scorpius's parents left him alone in Rose's room, following multiple reassurances that they loved him and they'd all get past this, he sighed and laid back on the bed. He stared up at his sister's unfamiliar ceiling and wondered when his parents' anger would come.

They were clearly sad and disappointed in him, but so far, they'd just been kind. That was just a testament to how pathetic Scorpius must seem. Even if he looked only half as broken as he felt, he was sure it was an alarming sight.

There was an ache in his chest that his father said would never go away. Besides that, he knew he'd never forget the animal's screams of pain, and how it looked after it died, more a bloody mess than horse, and worse than all that, the sight of Albus looking dead in the middle of the moonlit clearing.

Scorpius wanted to kill Miriam, but even as he thought it, he couldn't summon the anger required. He knew deep down this was his fault, not hers. He'd known it wasn't a good idea to go tonight, and he'd known the spell would be bad. He'd done it anyway, all so he wouldn't appear weak. Well, look where that had gotten him.

Scorpius heard a faint knocking sound and passed it off as a tree tapping against the window. He didn't know the sounds of Rose's room. He just wanted to be back in his room, with Albus. But his father said Scorpius needed to leave him alone, to rest, and had even locked the door with magic so he couldn't go see his friend.

After a few more moments of listening to the knocking sound, Scorpius realized it was a person, and there was only one person it could be. He rushed to the window and was glad to find his father hadn't thought to lock this with magic too. As soon as Albus was safely in the room, Scorpius began to scold him. "You're supposed to be resting. You've already been through enough tonight. What are you doing in here?"

"Shh, keep your voice down," Albus said as he closed the window. "Your father was scary adamant about me not coming in here, so I don't want him to find out."

"He was right. Go right back out the window and-"

"No," Albus crossed his arms and his green eyes were defiant. "I'm staying in here."

Scorpius regarded him for a few moments, then threw his arms around him. Albus stumbled slightly and put his hand against the wall to brace himself. "I was sure you were dead," Scorpius muttered. "I thought maybe something hit you from my spell, or that one of the others had cast something when they saw you. You wouldn't wake up and I tried everything."

Scorpius was crying now, and he felt Albus snake his arms around his middle. "I'm fine, Scor. Really. I feel fine."

Scorpius shook his head. "I was sure that was my punishment for what I'd done. That I was going to lose the most important person in my life."

Albus sighed, then gently pushed Scorpius off him. He placed his hands firmly on Scorpius's arms. "Well lucky for me, that's not how it works. You heard your parents, I just used too much magic. I blame your awful wand. I have no idea how you manage to get any spells out with that thing."

Scorpius gave him a small smile. He was so relieved to see Albus safe and making stupid jokes, like always, that he almost started crying all over again. Albus let go of him, then went to the bed and laid down on the opposite side from the one Scorpius had been laying in.

Scorpius considered trying to send him away again but gave up on the idea quickly. It was clear Albus didn't want to leave, and Scorpius didn't want him to go either. He turned off the lamp and climbed into bed next to Albus.

Scorpius stared at the ceiling again and before he could think of something to say, Albus turned to him. "How does it feel? The pain, or the toll from the Dark Magic; whatever it is?"

Scorpius scanned his chest. "It's...not that bad," he said slowly. "Just an ache in my heart, a little painful when I breathe deeply, but not something I can't get used to."

"I'm so sorry, Scor."

"It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault, but my own."

"I think it's Miriam's fault," Albus said angrily. "Please, tell me you're finally going to end it with her."

"Of course," Scorpius responded absently. He assumed Miriam would end it with him first, after he'd chosen Albus over her tonight. Honestly, he didn't care. He never wanted to see any of those so-called friends ever again.

Albus turned his head to face him. "I think you should talk about it, Scor. How it all came about, how you felt, how you feel now. I think it will help to get it all out."

Scorpius turned on his side toward Albus. He could barely make out his face in the dark. "Albus, you need to rest. And-" Scorpius cut off, then returned to lying on his back.

Albus nudged his side. "What?"

"I know you think there's going to be some good reason, something that can help you understand why I did it. But there isn't. I'm just weak and naïve and stupid and-"

"Just tell me. It will make you feel better, and we both know there's no one else you'll tell."

"Why? Talking about it isn't going to change anything."

"It's important to me," Albus replied, before adding, "Please?"

Scorpius agreed, since he didn't think he was in a position to deny any requests of Albus's tonight. He also thought it might be a good idea to show Albus once and for all how rubbish he was for him, so Albus could move on to find better friends.

Scorpius started at the beginning. He explained why he had befriended Miriam in the first place, and how she and the others made him feel important and special; like he could one day be an impressive head of the Malfoy family, like his grandfather.

He explained how sometimes he knew it was bad, making fun of others, but that he'd liked belonging to such an exclusive group. He explained how a part of him felt better surrounded by the other Slytherins, since they were mean and Scorpius thought maybe a part of him was mean, and he couldn't always voice his true thoughts in front of Albus and Nira.

Albus listened patiently and asked clarifying questions. When he talked, there wasn't a hint of judgement in his tone.

Scorpius described the whole night and filled in the conversations Albus had missed. He explained how, leading up to the moment he'd cast the spell, he'd felt stupid and weak and was tired of being treated like a kid. Then he told Albus how quickly it had all turned. Now, he felt dirty, dark, and tainted.

"I finally know how my father felt," Scorpius said. "I know he did worse, but I think it's probably similar. It's like...a darkness in me that I'll never be rid of. But at least he did it all under threat of death, my excuse is much lamer." Scorpius closed his eyes, then he felt Albus turn toward him.

"It feels like a lot now," Albus said, in a soft voice, "because it just happened. But you're so young. We have so much more life ahead of us and soon enough, this will be a distant memory. A lesson learned. Look at your father. He's happy now. He's living an incredible life with an amazing family and friends. And like you said, he did much worse. We'll get past this, Scor."

Scorpius started to cry again. He was surprised he had any tears left. He draped one arm over his face and sobbed into his elbow. "We won't, Albus. Don't you see? Maybe I'll get past this, but _we_ never will."

Scorpius felt Albus sit up in the bed. "What?"

"You'll always see me casting that spell when you look at me. You'll hear the horse crying in pain, and see it dying in your arms." Scorpius took his arm away and looked over at Albus. "Your Patronus is a unicorn. Innocent, pure, good. How could you have a best mate like me? Someone who killed-"

"You were tricked, Scor," Albus said insistently, leaning closer to him. "You never would have done it on purpose."

"It doesn't change the fact that it's done. You're always forgiving me, Albus. But I think, tonight, I may have finally found your limit."

Albus reached toward the nightstand behind him and turned on the lamp. "Get up," he said to Scorpius.

"Why?"

"I need to tell you something important and want to make sure you see my face when I say this, so you know I'm not lying."

Scorpius was confused but sat up anyway. Albus was sitting with his legs crossed in front of him, so Scorpius matched his pose and sat across from him so their knees were touching. Albus leaned in and put his hands firmly on Scorpius's shoulders, then stared intently into his eyes.

"I've said this before," Albus started, "but this time, I really need you to listen, okay?"

Scorpius nodded. Wondering what could possibly be so important.

"You don't have to be perfect, Scor. You can be flawed. You can be scared, and mean, and desperate to fit it. You can be naïve, and you can make mistakes." Tears stung Scorpius's eyes and he dipped his head, but Albus pulled his chin up so he was looking at him again.

"Look at me. You can be wrong, and you can lose, and you can be disappointing, and the whole time, you'll still be loved. Not just by your parents, who have to love you, but by me - someone who doesn't have to - but does, anyway."

Scorpius broke down crying and this time when he dipped his head down, Albus didn't make him look up. Instead, he pulled Scorpius against his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around him. Scorpius would never be good enough to deserve Albus. He was supposed to be resting, but here he was trying to make Scorpius feel better. He was always putting Scorpius first, and looked at how Scorpius had treated him in return.

"I love you, Scor," Albus whispered. "And there's nothing you're going to be able to do to get me to stop. This limit you speak of - the point where I give up on you...sometimes, I think you're bound and determined to find it. Well, you can stop looking for it; I can assure you- it's not there."

They sat there for a long while, until Scorpius was finally out of tears. The ache in his chest had eased and he was glad Albus had snuck over and forced him to talk. He did feel better, which was just more proof that Albus knew him better than anyone else and had known just what Scorpius needed tonight. When he pulled away, Albus gave him a small, encouraging smile.

Scorpius looked out the window and saw the first light of dawn starting to appear in the sky. When he turned back toward Albus, he saw he was struggling to keep his eyes open. Scorpius guessed the potion was finally beginning to wear off. He felt terrible. Scorpius reached over Albus and turned off the lamp and they both laid back on the bed. "No more talking. You really do need to sleep," Scorpius said sternly. Albus didn't respond, and Scorpius leaned over and saw he was already sleeping. He guessed he'd probably passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Scorpius wasn't able to fall asleep so quickly. He was thinking through what Albus had just said. After everything Scorpius had put him through tonight, he still wanted to be his friend. He'd forgiven him for the worst indiscretion and claimed there would never be anything Scorpius could do to lose his love.

Scorpius turned on his side to face Albus, then grabbed his arm with both of his hands. He dipped his forehead down until it was resting against the top of Albus's arm. Scorpius finally let his mind recall that awful feeling back at the clearing when he'd been sure Albus was dead.

He'd been in shock, kneeling in front of the winged horse's body when his father's voice, calling Albus's name, snapped him out of it. He looked over and saw Albus lying motionless on the ground and watched his father try, and fail, to wake him up. Scorpius's whole world had seemed to crash around him then. He'd sprinted over to his father and picked up his wand, which Albus was still clutching, before trying _Renervate_ again and again.

His mum was saying something to him, but he wasn't listening. She'd disarmed Scorpius, and he fell on top of Albus's body and clutched him tightly. Scorpius hadn't meant for anything bad to happen to him. He wasn't even supposed to be there tonight. He'd thought watching the horse die that slow, awful death was bad enough, but the pain of losing Albus was unfathomable.

Then, miraculously, he'd woken up. Scorpius made a promise to himself that he'd never let anyone hurt Albus again.

He took a deep breath, then whispered, "I love you too, Albus, in that same way you described. I'm not good at saying so, or even showing it, and I'm sorry. But I do feel it in my heart."

Scorpius fell asleep shortly after that and when he was awoken in the morning, by his father's angry voice, he was still in the same position - sidled next to Albus and clutching his arm for comfort.

* * *

His father was yelling but Scorpius's brain was fuzzy. It took him a few moments to understand the words. Albus had pulled himself out of Scorpius's grip and was sitting up in bed.

"...not listen to a thing I said last night?" his father was saying.

Albus mumbled something, but Scorpius didn't hear it.

"Reckless...stupid...father's going to kill me." His father looked dangerous and Scorpius was surprised to find his anger directed at Albus, and not him.

"Let's go, Albus. Now," he said sternly. Albus climbed out of the bed and Scorpius started to sit up, but his father motioned for him to stay in place. "You stay here. Your mum will be in to check on you soon."

Albus gave him a sad smile from the hall before his father slammed the door. Scorpius heard him apply a few locking charms and sighed as he laid back down. What was that about? He'd ask Albus when he saw him again.

His mum came into the room a few moments later and started casting a series of diagnostic spells. Scorpius asked her about Albus, and why his father was angry with him, but she wouldn't say anything.

After her last diagnostic spell, she cocked her head, clearly surprised by the result. He watched her cast it twice more and wondered what the spell was telling her.

"The pain in your heart, the one you said you were starting to feel last night, is that gone?" she asked.

Scorpius scanned his chest, then nodded slowly. "Yes, I feel fine. What does that mean?"

She smiled but didn't answer his question. Instead, she told him to take a shower and meet her in the kitchen for breakfast.

When Scorpius arrived downstairs after his shower, he heard his parents speaking in low voices in the kitchen. He crept down the hall, straining his ears so he could hear them.

"Did you tell him Albus did it on his own?" his mum asked.

"Of course. He thinks I told him about it to encourage him," his father responded. "But you know that's not-"

"I know," his mum interrupted. "You would never want to cause him any harm."

"He was just scared for Albus. I would have probably reacted the same. But I checked him twice, Albus is fine, it didn't work."

"Well, actually-" his mum started, then stopped abruptly. A floorboard had creaked under Scorpius's feet.

"Scor?" his father called. _Bugger_ , he'd been found out. Scorpius walked into the kitchen and hitched his breath when he saw his father. He'd been punched. His left eye was swollen and blue and his mum was healing the wound with her wand.

"What happened?" Scorpius asked.

His parents shared a look, then his mum gave his father a curt nod.

"Albus's dad punched me. He's...angry. It'll be fine, but, well, he'll probably need a few days to cool down. Maybe even a few weeks; we'll see."

Before Scorpius could respond, his mum stepped away from his father and pocketed her wand. "Okay, let's leave this for a few minutes. Ice it, then I'll finish healing it when I'm back. I want to get to Ron before Harry does."

"Yeah. That's probably a good idea."

She gave his father a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving, patting Scorpius's shoulder on the way out.

"Do you want eggs?" his father asked.

Scorpius ignored him. "What happened? Why did Uncle Harry punch you? What were you saying about Albus?"

"Albus is fine. The rest of it…" he bit his lip and looked away from Scorpius, out the window. "It's a story for another time. How are you?"

Scorpius wanted to argue and demand his father tell him what was going on. But after what he'd done the night before, he knew he wasn't in a position to make any demands.

* * *

Scorpius didn't see Albus for an entire month. He didn't see Nira either, but he heard his mum telling his father that Uncle Ron was on his father's side and was just staying away for a little while to avoid a fight with Uncle Harry. Scorpius wondered again why Uncle Harry was taking all his frustrations out on his father, when it was Scorpius he should be angry with.

He was dreading the day when he would see Uncle Harry again and wondered if he'd finally encounter the fearsome man who had managed to kill the darkest wizard of all time.

When Rose got back from her trip, she was upset that she wasn't allowed to see Lily or go to the Burrow and was even more annoyed that no one would tell her why. Scorpius had eventually told her part of the story, admitting to having performed Dark Magic, but leaving out the details of what the spell he'd cast had done. Then Rose had dropped her complaints and Scorpius was thankful for that, but unfortunately, she'd started giving him these pitying looks that drove him crazy.

Scorpius felt the worst for his parents, since because of him, they couldn't see their friends. Over that month, they spent most of their time with Daphne, Blaise, Theo, and Bennett. Scorpius didn't mind this that much, but their kids were all young and anytime Scorpius was with them, he felt like he was babysitting. He wanted desperately to hang out with kids his own age and would even put up with James, if he had to.

A few times, when the house was empty, he'd tested the Floo, to see if he could get to Grimmauld Place, but it was closed off. Every time he tried to visit, he'd spin around and around to countless fireplaces, but the drawing room for Grimmauld Place never appeared. He was always forced back out into his own house.

He was working on a more elaborate plan now. One that involved visiting the Ministry and cornering Uncle Harry so he could apologize to him directly, then beg to see Albus again. But before he got very far with his planning, Uncle Harry stepped out of the fireplace into his drawing room one day.

Scorpius was playing chess with Rose and jumped in his seat when he saw who it was. "Uncle Harry," he said lamely.

Uncle Harry gave Rose and him a curt nod. "I need to speak with your father."

"He's in the study," Rose replied.

Scorpius was frozen in place, and before he could get out the entire apology speech he'd planned, Uncle Harry had disappeared into the hall. Scorpius cursed under his breath. He was supposed to say how sorry he was and how he promised never to put Albus in danger again.

Then, miraculously, Albus walked out of the flames a few moments later. "Albus!" Scorpius ran to him and enveloped him in a crushing hug. After several moments, Albus asked him politely to let go, since Scorpius was hurting him.

"I never thought I'd be allowed to see you again," Scorpius muttered, taking a step back.

Albus nodded knowingly. "I think the separation is over now. I'm pretty sure my dad is forgiving Uncle Draco right now."

"Do you know what all that was about?" Scorpius asked.

Albus looked over at Rose. She rolled her eyes, then marched out of the room. "I know when I'm not wanted," she grumbled on her way out.

"Thanks, Rose!" Scorpius called after her before turning back to Albus. "Well? Why did your dad punch my father? And why was my father so angry with you that morning?"

Albus shrugged. "They thought I took too big of a risk sneaking into Rose's room, since the potion could have worn off while I was climbing over." Albus was avoiding Scorpius's gaze, and Scorpius could tell he was lying. He was obviously uncomfortable though, so Scorpius didn't push the subject.

"How are you feeling?" Albus asked, glancing toward Scorpius's chest.

"I'm getting used to everything," Scorpius said carefully. The pain in his chest hadn't come back but now he was having terrible nightmares. All of them involved Albus dying that night in the clearing, but he was too embarrassed to tell Albus about those.

"It's going to be fine," Scorpius continued. "The worst thing has been the boredom."

Albus looked a little sad, then gave Scorpius a small smile. "Yeah, we've missed you. Me, most of all, but I even heard James telling Hugo he missed having you to fly with. And Nira -" he paused and looked down, embarrassed. "I told her everything. I hope that's okay."

Scorpius's face fell. "What did she say?"

"Well, she was very disappointed in you, but says she'll forgive you, this one time. But if you do anything like this again, she's going to hex you."

Scorpius could tell by Albus's face that his version of what she'd said was a lot nicer than the truth.

"Oh," Albus added, "and she won't talk to you again if you don't break up with Miriam."

"I'm pretty sure we broke up that night when I chose to stay with you instead of going back to the house with her and the others. But if that's not clear, I'll make sure of it, once we're back at school."

Albus smiled widely and Scorpius was disappointed. Did he really fear that Scorpius would still want to be with Miriam, after all that?

Albus lowered his voice. "So, I'm guessing you don't know what happened to Miriam and the others?"

"No." Scorpius said, surprised. Had they been punished? That wasn't fair, he was the only one who had done something wrong.

"The Aurors raided their parents' houses," Albus whispered. "They found some dark artifacts and traces of dark magic on a few wands. There wasn't enough to make any arrests, but there were a lot of fines and threats of future, unannounced raids. My mum said they'll probably retaliate when we're back at school, so she's going to teach me some good hexes. I keep putting off the lessons, though, since my wand is still here," added in an undertone.

Scorpius nodded, unsure how he felt about that. He was glad Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron were keeping an eye on Miriam and the other kids' parents, especially if they were dark. But Albus was right, they were going to be awful to the two of them when they returned to school. Scorpius wasn't worried about what they'd do to him, but he was worried for Albus. He was only caught up in all this because of his association with Scorpius.

As he thought of returning to Hogwarts, he remembered something that had arrived for him a few days ago. He went to the mantel, where he'd left it, then handed the envelope to Albus.

Albus looked at it curiously, then peered inside. He smiled when he saw what it was. "Congratulations," he said sincerely. "I'm not surprised, though."

"I don't want to be a Prefect," Scorpius said, refusing to take the envelope back. "You should have it. I don't deserve it, after...everything."

Albus frowned at the badge inside the envelope, then pushed it back toward Scorpius again. "I don't want it. It's a lot of work. James is always complaining about the countless duties and I would hate having to spend all that time coaching first and second years."

"You'd be good at that part, you're so patient."

"You'd be good, too. You love bossing people around."

Albus shook the envelope, which Scorpius still hadn't taken back. "Really, keep it. You do deserve it. I don't want it, and I'm sure Locke and Kemp won't either. You want to be Head Boy one day, and we both know you won't get that without being a Prefect first."

"I don't care about that anymore," Scorpius responded.

"You say that, now," Albus said gently, "but you'll get past this, and you'll feel differently and be glad to get to wear this badge and strut around the halls."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "I don't strut."

"Take it," Albus said, insistently.

"Fine." Scorpius sighed and took the envelope back. They were both quiet, then Scorpius whispered, keeping his gaze on the unfinished chess game from earlier, "I don't know how to get past this. I don't know how _we_ get past this."

Albus placed a hand on his shoulder. "Have you already forgotten what I said? You don't have to be perfect."

Scorpius nodded. He hadn't forgotten. He'd thought about that moment almost every night since.

"We'll be fine," Albus said. "We just do normal things, and act normally, and one day, it will all feel normal again."

Before Scorpius could respond, Uncle Harry appeared in the doorway. "You cannot be kept away from each other, can you?" He didn't sound angry, just amused.

"Uncle Harry, I'm so sorry. I know you're angry and I know I put Albus in danger but-"

"I'm not angry, Scorpius. I'm disappointed, of course, but - we're all allowed mistakes. You need to learn from them, though," he added sternly.

Scorpius nodded. "I will. I have. I promise." He noticed his father in the hall and asked, "You're not mad at my father anymore?"

Uncle Harry looked behind him toward his father before shaking his head. "That was a misunderstanding. We're fine."

Uncle Harry turned back to Albus and sighed. "Since the Floo is open again, you're going to try to sneak back if I take you home now, aren't you?"

Albus nodded.

Uncle Harry rolled his eyes. "Two hours. Then you need to come help your mum with dinner. Deal?"

Albus smiled widely. "Deal."

After Uncle Harry disappeared through the flames, Albus walked to Scorpius's father, who was leaning against the doorframe. "I told him it was me," Albus whispered. "I promise. He didn't believe me-"

"I know, Albus," his father said gently. "Come here." He pulled Albus into a tight hug. "I missed you, kid. It's not the same around here without you."

Scorpius silently agreed.

* * *

_Christmas Break, Fifth Year_

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

Before returning to school, every adult in Scorpius's life (all the way from Blaise, to his grandparents, to Professor Longbottom) had sat Scorpius down to talk with him about Dark Magic. Surprisingly, out of all these talks, it was the ones with Albus's parents, that made him feel better about what he'd done.

Aunt Ginny admitted that in her first year, she accidently used a dark artifact that unleashed a monster on the entire school, nearly killing a number of Muggleborns - his mum included. But more surprising than that, was Uncle Harry's story.

He said in his sixth year, he'd used the same spell Scorpius had, without knowing what it would do. He'd directed his at a person though: Scorpius's father. That explained his parents' reaction when they'd heard what spell Scorpius had used. Luckily, a Professor had been nearby and knew the counterspell, but that was where his father had gotten those faint scars on his chest.

Scorpius had been so relieved to know that someone like Uncle Harry, who would later go on to win a war and become an Auror, had done something so bad.

After returning to school, Aunt Ginny's assumption that the Slytherins would retaliate was proven right. Scorpius had been expecting them to corner him in the locker room after Quidditch practice and always had his wand on him, even in the showers. They left him alone and targeted Albus instead, figuring (accurately) that that would bother Scorpius the most.

They hung up posters around the Slytherin common room with photos of Albus wearing glittery school robes, saying he was recruiting members for the Fairyboy Club. Then on top of that, they snuck into their dormitory and covered all of Albus's school robes in glitter.

Scorpius, Albus, and their dorm mates tried everything they could to get the glitter out, but nothing seemed to work. Luckily, Albus and Kemp were about the same size and Albus was able to wear his clothes until he could send home for new robes.

Scorpius felt awful and offered to pay for the robes, but Albus had shrugged him off. "I needed new robes anyway. I was putting it off. The most upsetting thing about this whole ordeal is that no one reached out to me to join my club."

Scorpius went straight to Miriam, who was now the Quidditch captain, and told her that he wouldn't be playing in their first match against Gryffindor, reminding her of the promise he'd made the team last year, that he wouldn't play if anyone made fun of Albus. He could tell she still thought he was bluffing, but he didn't show up to any more practices and skipped the first game, watching from the stands as James and Lily got a chance to get revenge for their brother.

The Slytherin team was no match against the Gryffindor Chasers without Scorpius. James led his team in an unprecedented victory. This was helped by the fact that Lily, their Seeker, kept "missing" the snitch in order to keep the game going for longer, so James could score more points against Miriam. Professor Longbottom, who had been overseeing the game, had to call a time-out and insist that James finish the game, since it was becoming unsportsmanlike.

James made a big show of flying to where Albus, Scorpius, and Nira were sitting in the stands and asking Albus if it was okay if he ended the game. James obviously wanted to send a message to the entire school that his brother wasn't to be messed with. This type of gesture would have embarrassed Scorpius, but Albus didn't seem to care. He'd nodded to James and after that, Lily caught the snitch in ten minutes and the Gryffindors won 340 - 20.

After that slaughter, Miriam sought Scorpius out and declared a truce. She said she would make sure Albus was left alone if he agreed to play the rest of the season. He wanted to refuse, just to spite her, but knew playing was the best way to ensure people would leave Albus alone. He hated Miriam more than anyone and couldn't believe he'd liked her. Not just liked her, he'd snogged her. It was repulsive to think of now.

She didn't even look like the same person to him anymore. She was mean, and ugly, and he figured he was finally seeing her true colors, the version of her Albus had seen so clearly from the start, and had tried to warn him about.

Currently, Albus, Nira, and Scorpius were on the Hogwarts Express, heading home for Christmas break. Albus was laying on the bench with his head on Nira's lap, while she massaged his scalp.

"This is the best feeling in the entire world," Albus said lazily, his eyes closed.

"I know. It's my favorite part of getting my haircut, having someone else wash my hair, then massage my head like this." She looked over at Scorpius and smirked. "I'd offer to rub your head, Scorpius, but we all know how particular you are about your hair."

Scorpius flipped her off. Albus looked over at him and smiled, then up at Nira. "Well, no worries about that here. My hair is untamable, no matter what I try." He sat up and Scorpius snorted when he saw how ridiculous he looked, with his hair standing straight up.

Nira tried to fix it as best she could. "You know something, Albus?" she asked, after a few moments.

"Hmm?"

"You're very handsome. I noticed it the other day. Something about turning 16, maybe, but you look very good."

Albus smiled widely. "Tell me more, please."

Nira leaned back so she could get a better look at him. "Well, your face is nice, very symmetrical, and you have a good smile. Your eyes are startling. I can see a bloke getting lost in those one day." He opened them widely and Nira laughed.

"And don't think I hadn't noticed you filling out your shirt, lately," she leaned in and started to lift the hem of his shirt.

"Nira!" Albus cried as he pulled his shirt back down and pushed her away. "We're still cousins. This is getting creepy."

Scorpius saw Nira shrug out of his periphery. He was focusing hard on the magazine in front of him, trying not to seem interested in this conversation, but in reality, he was. He had noticed this same thing about Albus a few weeks before.

Scorpius had been sitting on his bed, reading, while he waited for Albus to get out of the shower so they could go to Hogsmeade. When Albus came back into the room, he was only wearing his underwear and threw the clothes he'd brought into the bathroom onto his bed. "Glitter," he said in explanation to Scorpius, before crouching to rummage through his trunk for a new set of clothes.

Scorpius watched him curiously, then when Albus finally found an acceptable outfit, he stood up and stretched before pulling on his pants and jumper. There was something different about him. He was muscular. Not overly so, and he was still smaller than Scorpius, but he wasn't scrawny, like he had been. When had that happened?

Albus turned around and cocked his head at Scorpius when he saw him watching him, which made Scorpius blush and look back at his book. He'd just been watching his friend change. His _gay_ friend. Albus was too polite to say anything about it, and Scorpius put it out of his mind for the rest of the day.

Later that night, they were in the Gryffindor Common Room, playing a large game of magical charades someone had bought at Albus's Uncle George's joke shop earlier. They were crowded on the couches and Scorpius was pressed against Albus's more muscular than usual frame, and couldn't stop thinking about it.

He was also pressed against Nira on the other side, but that didn't seem to matter as much. Scorpius knew he was just overreacting and tried to relax. Albus didn't seem to care and everyone around them was squished together and none of them cared. He thought grumpily to himself that the Gryffindor common room needed more seating.

After a few moments of trying to not think about Albus, and failing, Scorpius had excused himself. He said he was sick, probably from eating too many sweets, and that he was going to go to bed. Albus had shrugged and wished him good night, then told him there was a pink potion in his trunk that might make him feel better.

Scorpius turned his attention back to Nira and Albus. "How did you get so fit?" Nira was asking Albus.

"It's not a big deal. Leave me alone."

"Come on. Just tell me."

Albus rolled his eyes. "Fine. I started running over the summer with James and my dad. I was complaining about how there was no way for people who didn't like Quidditch to exercise and my dad showed me how the Aurors train. It was easy, just a short, 30 minute workout I can do in any empty room, so I've been doing that every day. It's not a big deal, but I do feel better."

"And look better," Nira added, with a wink.

Albus blushed. "Please stop."

"Are you preparing yourself for the dating scene?" she asked. "Or do you already have a special bloke in mind?"

Scorpius finally looked over at Albus, interested in his response to this question. Albus pushed Nira playfully. "Shut up. There's only one other gay bloke I know about, and I don't like him. I doubt I'll ever date in school, but it's okay. I talked to Theo about it. He said it's easier after school. A lot more people will come out, since many are afraid to do so during school, like him. He also suggested dating in the Muggle world first, for practice."

Nira asked the question Scorpius was thinking. "What would you need to practice?"

"Mostly picking out if someone else is gay. He said it's convenient to be able to obliviate a bloke if you mess up."

"That's illegal!" Nira cried, affronted.

Albus shrugged. "We know Theo is shady. And it seems harmless." He looked over at Scorpius. "What do you say, Scor? Will you be my wingman? Obliviate blokes for me when I get it wrong?" He shot Scorpius a playful grin.

Scorpius found the idea of Albus flirting with and kissing other men repulsive. He threw it violently from his mind. Albus dropped his grin and was looking at him strangely now. Before Scorpius could respond to his earlier question, Albus changed the subject and started talking about his plans for the Christmas break.

Once the train stopped, Nira left first, but Albus caught Scorpius's arm before he could follow her into the hall. He flinched and Albus stepped back, hurt. Then, he reached out slowly and gripped Scorpius's shoulder and studied him carefully for a few moments, before dropping his hand.

"What?" Scorpius asked.

"You don't like me touching you anymore."

This was sort of true. After the day he'd accidently watched Albus change and come to the disturbing conclusion that he was now fit, Scorpius could not stop thinking about how Albus was gay and couldn't stop noticing how much Albus touched him. Had he always touched him this much?

Albus would easily throw an arm around Scorpius's shoulders after class, leaning in to tell him a joke or story. He'd grab his leg or arm to get his attention, or take Scorpius's hand to pull him out of the way of a trap set by Peeves. Then, one night, they'd been under the invisibility cloak sneaking into the kitchens and had to embrace to keep both of them hidden. Scorpius had been uncomfortable, but Albus seemed completely unaffected.

Scorpius knew this wasn't a problem with Albus, but with him. Why was this bothering him now? Albus had been gay for a long time. And since then, they'd wrestled, hugged, slept in the same bed, and lain together on the roof, sharing a pillow, as they talked under the stars. Why did it all of a sudden feel so different?

Albus was similarly affectionate with Nira, Scorpius noticed, but that was different. Nira and Albus were cousins, for one, and also, Albus didn't like witches. He liked wizards. Did Albus like him?

Scorpius knew this was ridiculous. Scorpius liked witches, but that didn't mean he liked _every_ witch. He wasn't attracted to Nira at all. But Albus liking him wasn't completely outside the realm of possibility. He still hadn't forgotten how upset Albus had been that night he came out to him. Maybe this was why.

"What are you talking about?" Scorpius said, defensively, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I thought maybe it was because I'm gay, but that doesn't make sense. You've known about that for a year, and this has only started in the past month."

"I'm fine with you being gay, and with you touching me." Scorpius placed a hand on Albus's shoulder and squeezed it. "See?"

Albus looked at him curiously, not convinced. "Okay. If you say so."

"Really, Albus, it's nothing. I'm just in a weird mood."

Albus raised his eyebrow. "Oh, the moodiness is back? I'd hoped you'd grown out of that by now."

Scorpius sighed, then finally took his hand back. "No, not yet."

Albus bit his lip. "You'll tell me, right? If you have a problem with me? You can tell me anything."

Scorpius nodded, but had no intention of telling Albus what was going on, since he didn't really understand it himself.

* * *

** Albus Potter **

Albus was watching TV with a bloke who was the son of his mum's friend; a witch who used to play Seeker with her on the Holyhead Harpies. This whole situation was weird, because his mum had told James and Lily they didn't have to be here, but when Albus had tried to go to the Burrow earlier, she'd said he had to stay at home to entertain her friend's son. The bloke was a Gryffindor, one year under James in school, so Albus thought if anyone should have to entertain him, it should be James.

Then everything came together when the wizard, Thomas, mentioned that it wasn't fair that there weren't very many shows that featured gay couples while they'd been watching a stupid dating show that Lily liked.

"Are you gay?" Albus asked, then started laughing when Thomas nodded in confirmation.

Thomas stood up from the couch and glared at Albus. "You think it's funny that I'm gay?"

"Yes, but not for the reason you think," Albus said, through his laughter. He was surprised this bloke didn't know that Albus was gay. He thought the whole school knew. Had Thomas been living under a rock? "I'm gay too," Albus explained. "I'm just laughing because it seems like our mums orchestrated this whole thing to get us together."

Thomas sat back down and started laughing, too. Albus noticed that he had a good, hearty laugh. "Oh. So this is like a setup?" Thomas asked.

That made Albus laugh even harder. "Seems like it. The fact that they both had a gay son must have come up when they were talking or something."

"This is embarrassing," Thomas mumbled, after he finally stopped laughing.

Albus shrugged. "Whatever. I'm sure they meant well."

They talked easily after that and tried to find other things they had in common. One notable one was that they both disliked Quidditch. Albus turned to Thomas and smiled after he admitted that. "You're a gay person with a Quidditch player parent, who doesn't like Quidditch? Where have you been? You're exactly the type of friend I need. Are you going to tell me next that your dad is a famous savior of the Wizarding World whose impressive legacy you'll never live up to?"

Thomas let out a laugh. "No, that's just you."

"Oh well. Two out of three is good enough."

The rest of the afternoon had passed quickly and before the boys parted ways, they made a plan to meet up when they were back at Hogwarts.

* * *

_Easter Break, Fifth Year_

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

Scorpius and Albus were laying on the roof of his house. Scorpius had made a point to bring one pillow this time, so he could show Albus that he had no problem being close to him, but Albus was sitting up a few feet away from Scorpius.

After their conversation on the train, Scorpius decided that he was being stupid about this whole touching Albus thing and committed to ignoring it. He never got a chance at behaving normally, though, since Albus had stopped touching him. He still poked him every so often, or nudged him with his elbow to get his attention, but everything else - the arms around the shoulder, leaning against him on the couch, or sharing invisibility cloaks - stopped.

Scorpius had been hurt when he saw that Albus was only behaving differently around him and was just as affectionate as always with Nira. _Albus is just an affectionate person and you are an absolute prat for making a big deal out of it,_ he told himself. This was just one more instance of Albus putting Scorpius ahead of himself.

Scorpius tried to ignore his disappointment that Albus was so far away while he focused on the moon. He was studying the shapes on its surface, when Albus said, out of nowhere, "I kissed Thomas."

Something cold dropped into the pit of Scorpius's stomach and he tried his best to keep his face blank. He hummed in response, not trusting himself to speak. His mind was racing. This news made him feel sick, but he had no idea why.

Scorpius didn't have a problem with two blokes kissing. He'd seen Theo and Bennett kiss and it was no more disturbing than seeing his own parents kiss. It was the thought of _Albus_ kissing someone - anyone, wizard or witch, that he had a problem with. Albus was _his_.

 _My what?!_ He thought as the alarming idea popped into his head.

Albus had leaned forward and was looking at Scorpius, curiously. Scorpius wondered if he'd read anything suspicious on his face. "Okay," Scorpius said, pushing the previous thoughts from his mind. "How was it?"

Albus laid back against the chimney stack. "It was fine."

"Do you like Thomas?" Albus and Thomas had been spending time together, but Scorpius didn't think Albus liked him like that. He'd thought they were just friends.

"Not particularly. I mean, he's certainly not _the one,_ " he said with a smile, probably recalling their earlier conversation about soulmates a few years before. "But I thought it would be too pathetic to go my whole Hogwarts career without kissing someone. So I did it. And it was okay. I'm definitely gay - not like I was questioning it, but well…" his voice trailed off. "Anyway, how are you and Tabitha?"

After Albus and Scorpius had returned to Hogwarts after Christmas Break and Scorpius was introduced to Thomas, he'd decided to get himself a girlfriend. He had asked out the first witch to give him an indication she liked him, which ended up being Tabitha, a Ravenclaw Prefect in their year with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"She's fine," Scorpius replied. This was a lie. She was jealous all the time of Nira and Albus and Scorpius didn't have very much patience for it. He'd tried to invite her to tag along a few times, but it wasn't the same when she was there. They'd also had an awkward encounter in the Prefects' bathroom, the week before.

Scorpius had gone there after practice and found her waiting outside the door. She'd said she went to the Slytherin common room to find him and Albus said he was at Quidditch practice, then would probably go take a long bath, like he usually did on Friday afternoons. She'd gotten an idea to meet him there so they could "be alone." Scorpius knew exactly what that meant. He also knew he wasn't ready for it.

Parts of him were ready (like his body), but mentally and emotionally, he didn't want to have sex with her. Would she make fun of him? Would she tell him if he was doing it wrong, and how he could do it better? Would she tell her friends if he was bad at it? Would she use the proper contraceptive? As he'd stood there in the hall, outside the bathroom, looking at her expectant, pretty eyes, he'd realized that there was a lot of trust involved in having sex with someone. The only two people he trusted implicitly were Albus and Nira. One of them was a bloke, and one was a witch he wasn't attracted to.

He'd let her down as gently as he could, then taken the longest bath he'd ever had. When he'd returned to the common room, Albus had grinned suggestively. "I heard Tabitha had plans to meet you in the Prefects' bathroom."

"Her plans fell through," Scorpius had replied sharply, not in any mood to discuss the topic with Albus.

Albus had shrugged and left him alone. But he asked about it again now. "She hasn't tried to drag you into the Prefects' bathroom again?"

Scorpius sighed. "No. I - uh - it's hard to explain properly, but I don't believe I trust her enough to do, uh, that."

He saw Albus nod out of the corner of his eye. "According to Nira, the perfect time to lose your virginity is sixth year. She has this whole explanation about it. Everyone is coming of age, we're only in our first year of N.E.W.T.s, so there are no big exams to worry about, people aren't in their awkward-looking phase anymore...I don't remember the rest. Anyway, my point is, you have plenty of time to find someone you do trust enough."

Scorpius sat up and looked over at Albus. "Nira never told me that."

"She probably told me because I'm gay. Witches tell me all sorts of things. Like how they're feeling, what they hate about their looks, or about their relationship problems. They seem to think I'll know something about it because I'm gay. But I don't know, or care." He paused to sigh. "It's exhausting. The only witch who wants nothing to do with me is Tabitha. I think she's just jealous."

"Why would she be jealous?" Scorpius asked, quickly.

Albus shrugged. "Because we're friends and she wants you spending all your time with her, and not me and Nira."

"Oh. Right."

They were both quiet as they looked out at the London skyline. Scorpius laid back down. Albus stayed sitting and asked absently after a few minutes, his gaze still focused on something in the distance, "Where do non-Prefects go for sex?"

That pit in Scorpius's stomach from before was back, and larger. Was Albus planning to have sex with Thomas? Neither of them were Prefects so they'd need a good spot. Scorpius hated this conversation and desperately wanted Albus to change it. They'd talked about sex before, but it felt different now.

"I mean, non-Prefects without a very convenient map telling them all the empty places around the school and where the nearest person is," Albus added with a grin.

Scorpius relaxed slightly. He'd almost forgotten about the map. Albus had that, so he didn't need Scorpius's advice on where to take Thomas to be alone with him. He didn't know if he should feel better or worse about this, but at least he knew that Albus wasn't asking for himself. They were just chatting, like they always did. Scorpius needed to relax.

He took a deep breath before responding with the locations he knew about: empty classrooms, dorms, (usually worked out with dorm mates ahead of time to ensure they were empty), and the greenhouses at night. After that, Scorpius rushed to change the subject. He asked Albus which N.E.W.T.s he was planning to take next year. That was a safe topic.

* * *

** Albus Potter **

Albus and Nira were in the forest near her house, collecting potions ingredients for her mum. Albus bent to pick a few leaves, then snatched his hand back. He's almost grabbed a poisonous plant that looked similar to goose grass.

He blamed his raging headache for this near miss. They'd had Occlumency lessons the day before and his head still hurt. No one was surprised when Nira had been the best, followed by Scorpius, then Albus. This was one area of magic he struggled with. Uncle Draco said he was too similar to his father, driven almost entirely by his emotions.

He said Albus had to figure out a way to shut off his emotions, or else any Legilimens could grab them right out of his mind, then follow them easily to all the thoughts associated with them.

"Have you kissed that Thomas bloke yet?" Nira asked as she crouched down and played with a group of ladybugs.

"Oh, yeah. I did."

"And? Still gay?"

"Still gay," Albus responded with a smirk.

It had been a good kiss, even though it felt off. The whole time he'd just noticed that Thomas wasn't quite tall enough. His hair was too short, and the stubble on his jaw was wrong. He liked him okay, but he couldn't stop from thinking about Scorpius. This crush was going to kill him, though he was getting more used to it. He may not be good at Occlumency, but he was getting better at pushing his thoughts and feelings about Scorpius, to the side.

"You look disappointed," Nira said.

"What?"

"Is it because Thomas wasn't the person you wanted to be kissing?"

Albus sighed and put his basket down before taking a seat on a large rock. "Just say what you want to say, Nira. It's not like you to beat around the bush like this."

She crossed her arms and fixed him with a stern glare. "I think we both know who you would have preferred to be kissing."

Albus took another deep breath. "He's not gay," he said in a resigned voice. He knew better than to deny it. Nira had an uncanny ability to pick up on this sort of thing and had obviously figured out he liked Scorpius.

"Does he know?" she asked gently, taking a seat next to him on the rock.

"That's he's not gay? Yes, he knows."

"You know that's not what I meant."

Albus sighed heavily and looked up at the tree overhead. "No, I don't think so. But I think he senses it without realizing it. It's probably just a matter of time before he finally figures it out."

"You should tell him."

Albus looked at her incredulously. "Are you mad?!"

Nira took a deep breath and gave him a pitying look. When she spoke, her voice was gentle. "After last summer and the whole business with the dead horse-"

"Aethonan," Albus corrected.

"Yeah, whatever. I think you two passed that point in your friendship where you can truly share anything with each other. You saw that dark side of him and was able to forgive him for it and this - well, I don't mean to imply it's anything dark, though it is embarrassing for you. But I think you need to tell him to clear the air. I think it will help you move on and it should help with his prickliness too."

"You've noticed that?" Albus asked, looking down at his hands, which were a little muddy. He started wiping them on his jeans.

"This may be an awful idea. But - I don't know. Think on it, at least."

"I will," Albus nodded, still looking down.

Nira crept closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "What does it feel like? Unrequited love. I read poems about it, and they make it sound unbearably painful."

Albus leaned his head against hers as he tried to put the feeling into words. "How to explain…" he started slowly. "I want him to be happy, more than anything. For example, I know he's never been in love and I want that for him. I was thinking about it last night, when he was telling me how he doesn't want to have sex with Tabitha because he doesn't trust her. I want him to have someone he trusts - not just because he's my friend - but because I love him so completely, that I would find true joy in that.

"But on the other hand, if I had to be there to see him gaze lovingly into another witch's eyes, or hear him tell someone else he loves them, it would kill me, Nira. Regardless, I want to be there to witness it."

Albus moved away from her and bent forward, dropping his head into his hands. "That's what it feels like."

Nira placed a comforting hand on his back. "That sounds awful. How do you stand it?"

Albus turned his head toward her and gave her a sad smile. "It could be worse. There are people who love others from afar. He could ignore me or want nothing to do with me. I know I'm important to him. And he loves me, in a way. As long as I don't fuck it up, I'll always have a place in his life. And that - will be enough. Then, one day, I'll find someone else, who likes me back, and I have to hope these feelings will fade."

His chest clenched painfully, and he took a calming breath. His voice was shaky when he spoke again. "They will fade, right, Nira?"

He saw that her eyes were brimming with tears. She placed both of her hands on his arms and nodded. "Of course they will," she said insistently. "I'm going to make sure of it, even if I have to go so far as to invent the first ever anti-love potion. I _refuse_ to live in a world where Albus Potter, the best person I've ever known, doesn't get a happy ending."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I, also, refuse to live in that world. Luckily, I have a say in how this all turns out. I know there's still a bit of mystery around that conflict between Draco and Harry about Albus. That will be explained later. Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Continued thanks to my beta readers, Lancashire Witch and Kimmeh B. Come see me on Tumblr at Alexandra-Emerson.
> 
> The next chapter will be posted Wed, Feb-10.


	6. Sixth Year

**Chapter 6 - Sixth Year**

* * *

_Summer before Sixth Year_

* * *

**Scorpius Malfoy**

It was the last day of the camping trip that Scorpius's family was taking with Albus and Nira's families. The trip had originally come about as a celebration for his mum's win in the Minister for Magic election. His father told her they should go on holiday and asked her to pick any destination.

To his father's dismay, she'd chosen camping (his least favorite activity in the entire world) and insisted that Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron be there. She said her last memory camping with them was awful, since it was during the war, when they'd been on the run, and she wanted to make up for it. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny had agreed instantly, but Uncle Ron had taken some convincing. He and Scorpius's father rarely agreed on things, but on this trip, they'd bonded over their shared hatred of the outdoors.

Scorpius thought it was fun. He liked exploring the forest, and since it was a magical forest that could potentially be dangerous, the adults let all the kids carry their wands around, for emergencies.

Scorpius, Albus, and Nira had snuck away a few times in the past week for magic lessons with his father. They were practicing stunning spells and Scorpius was still sore from falling over so much. Albus was incredibly good and Scorpius had only managed to beat him once.

Scorpius had also got a lot of flying in with James, Lily, and Hugo. The day before, they'd played a game of Quidditch with the adults and destroyed them, even though Scorpius had to play Keeper; a position he was awful at. It was especially difficult since Aunt Ginny had been the other team's Chaser, and she was a former professional player.

James did a good job Chasing for their team and Lily had flown excellently and managed to get the snitch before her dad. Scorpius had let James play as Chaser since this was his last trip before going into the Auror training program. Although Scorpius had never been as close with James as he was with Albus, he'd miss having him at Hogwarts next year. The castle wouldn't feel the same without him.

The upcoming school year was a popular topic of conversation. After getting their O.W.L. scores just before the trip, it was time for Albus and Scorpius to decide which N.E.W.T.s they were going to pursue. Scorpius had no idea what he wanted to do, so he was inclined to continue to the N.E.W.T level for all his classes.

His father had warned that may be too overwhelming and would leave little time for anything else. He suggested Scorpius drop one or two classes, but Scorpius had no idea which ones to let go of, since he didn't know what he wanted to do after school.

This wasn't a problem for Albus, who knew exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted to pursue a Potions mastery after school, so the only subjects required were Potions, Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures. He'd added Charms and Transfiguration to his course load, since he said those were very practical subjects, and planned to drop all his other classes.

Scorpius had been surprised he hadn't even kept Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Albus had just shrugged and said if he had issues with the Dark Arts, he could call his dad or his brother. Albus was so sure of his decision that Scorpius couldn't help but be envious. He wanted so badly to be like Albus sometimes, who was so unapologetically himself. Albus knew what he wanted and went for it. Scorpius was lost and was constantly trying to be eight different things at once.

Part of Scorpius's problem was that, unlike Albus, who was extremely good at one thing, he was a little good at everything. He could see himself being great as an Auror, a Healer, a Quidditch Player, or even working as a lobbyist like his grandfather. So his decision was less simple than Albus's.

When he had mentioned this to Albus and Nira a few days before, Nira had rolled her eyes and told Scorpius he was an absolute prat. Albus had nodded sympathetically and told Scorpius he had a point and understood why Scorpius was having such a hard time with his decision. This was just more proof of why Albus was the best person in the entire world.

Currently, Scorpius was walking through the forest with Albus, searching for a unicorn. James said he saw one from the sky when flying earlier, but now Scorpius was starting to wonder if this was just another of James's jokes. When he'd brought this up to Albus a few minutes ago, Albus had just shrugged and said it was no matter. Best case, they'd see a unicorn and worst case, they'd have a nice hike.

Scorpius had snorted at that response. How could Albus be so positive about everything? It drove Scorpius crazy sometimes.

"If we do find this unicorn, please don't kill it," Albus said, teasingly.

Scorpius pushed him and felt bad when he fell a little harder than Scorpius had intended. Albus was on the ground grabbing his ankle and wincing in pain. Scorpius rushed to his side. "Shite! Sorry, Albus. I didn't mean to push you that hard."

"It's nothing. I just need a hand getting up." Scorpius stood and offered his hand, then Albus pulled down hard and jumped up, making Scorpius fall over. Albus was smiling down at him, and it was obvious he'd been faking before.

"I should have seen that coming," Scorpius grumbled, as he pulled himself back to his feet, then wiped the dirt off his pants.

Albus nudged his arm. "Come on, Scor. Lighten up. I was just trying to snap you out of your sour mood. You really are the grumpiest person ever. Maybe you should see a healer about it. There may be a-"

Scorpius clapped a hand over Albus's mouth and motioned toward the clearing ahead of them.

At the very end of the path, barely visible from their distance, was a silver unicorn with a small, golden foal. The mother was grooming her young. Scorpius let Albus go and they crept as close as they could without being seen, casting silencing charms on their feet.

"Wow," Albus whispered. "This Agrippa card really is lucky." He was touching the back pocket of his jeans.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "You and that card…"

They watched the unicorns for a long time, mesmerized. They didn't move until the unicorns disappeared into the depths of the forest. Once the creatures were gone, they smiled at each other and started walking back to the campsite. Scorpius admitted, while they were walking, that he'd never seen a real unicorn before. He'd only ever seen them in textbooks, or in the form of Albus's Patronus.

Albus had seen them in Care of Magical Creatures, but Scorpius didn't take that class. "Well, what did you think?" Albus asked.

Scorpius couldn't describe it. It was...serene, watching the two unicorns. He felt calmer now than he had in months. Maybe he needed a pet unicorn. As he considered this, he thought of Albus, and how he was sort of like a pet unicorn to Scorpius, though he could never say this out loud, since it was a very strange thought. Albus calmed Scorpius in a way few things could. It probably wasn't for nothing that his Patronus was a unicorn.

When Scorpius didn't answer, Albus kept talking. "Thomas has a theory that-"

"I don't want to hear about your stupid boyfriend," Scorpius snapped, cutting him off.

Albus stopped walking. "What? Thomas isn't my boyfriend."

"You kissed him. And you're constantly talking about him," Scorpius said pointedly, turning around to face Albus, who was still stopped on the path.

"I believe in the entire week, I've said two sentences about him. This being the second one, which, since it was interrupted, means I've said one and half sentences about Thomas. So I don't know what you're talking about."

Scorpius rolled his eyes and kept walking.

"What's wrong?" Albus asked, coming up behind him. "Do you not like Thomas?"

No, Scorpius didn't like Thomas. Mainly because he was everything Scorpius wasn't. He was a Gryffindor (which was the house Albus should be in), he was decent, and nice, and gay, and he clearly liked Albus. Why wouldn't he? If Scorpius were gay, he'd want to date Albus. He stopped in place. That was a weird thought.

"Answer me, Scorpius." Albus said, finally catching up to him.

Scorpius sighed. "I just have a bad feeling about him. I can't explain it."

Albus frowned and considered this. "Okay...can you try?"

Scorpius looked away from him and focused on a green bird pecking at something on the tree behind Albus. "He's just not right for you. I mean, he seems decent, like he'd be a good friend, I guess. If you want to date him, fine, go ahead. I know you like snogging him, or, whatever." Scorpius turned away from Albus and kept walking.

Albus joined him and they walked in silence for a few moments. "If I didn't know better, Scor. I'd say you were jealous," he joked, nudging Scorpius playfully.

Scorpius froze. That was exactly what he was. He hadn't been able to properly diagnose his disapproval of Thomas until Albus had put it so simply. Scorpius was jealous. Not because he liked Albus, of course, but he couldn't stand the thought of losing him as a friend.

What the hell was wrong with him? Was he really that awful? Could he really not abide his friend being happy with someone else, because that meant he wouldn't have as much time and energy for Scorpius? When had he become so selfish?

"What's wrong?" Albus was looking at him, concerned.

Scorpius shook his head. "I like Thomas just fine. If you like him, date him. Sorry. I'm having a really off day."

He started to walk again, but Albus grabbed his arms and shook him. "You need to relax, Scor. I'm begging you. You are like a bundle of nervous energy and it's stressing me out. We're on holiday, and we just saw two unicorns! This is a good day. Okay? Take a deep breath."

Scorpius looked back at him sardonically.

"Come on. I'm not going to let you go until you do," Albus said insistently.

"I can break away from this easily."

Albus smirked. "Then I'll just stun you. You may be stronger, but I'm more magically powerful. Take the damn breath."

Scorpius scowled, then took a breath.

"Again," Albus directed.

"I hate you," Scorpius said, before taking a second breath. This time, he let it fill his lungs, and when he finally exhaled, he did feel a little better.

Albus smiled. "I can tell you feel better, but I won't say 'I told you so.' That's not my style." He let go of Scorpius's arms before continuing to walk again.

Scorpius pushed him playfully before falling into step with him. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Albus."

"You'd implode from all that anxiety, and there'd be nothing left but a Scorpius shaped hole," Albus replied, smiling widely.

* * *

**Albus Potter**

Albus had been considering Nira's suggestion that he tell Scorpius about his feelings for him all week. He finally decided during their hike to see the unicorns to do it. Scorpius was too on edge and had been for months. Albus kept waiting for it to get better, but it just seemed to be getting worse.

At first, Albus was sure Scorpius's angst was unrelated to him. But after Scorpius's sudden weirdness with being touched by Albus, and his issues with Thomas, Albus began to suspect that Scorpius did know how Albus felt, even if it was just subconsciously.

Like Nira said, it was probably better to get it out in the open so they could start to move past it. Though Albus knew the getting it out in the open part, was going to be painful.

That night, Albus was incredibly nervous and ate way too many roasted marshmallows while his dad and Uncle Ron told stories from their early days as field Aurors. Now, Albus was sitting on his bed in the room of the tent he was sharing with Scorpius. He felt sick and couldn't decide if it was because of the conversation he was planning to have in a few moments, or all the marshmallows he'd eaten.

Albus was pretending to read while he waited for Scorpius to get back from his shower. As soon as Scorpius walked back into the room, Albus stood up and put the book down. "We need to talk. Outside."

Scorpius cocked his head in confusion. "But I just took a shower."

Albus rolled his eyes. "We're not going to be rolling around in the mud. Can you get over yourself and come along?"

Scorpius seemed to realize Albus was serious and his expression turned from irritation to concern. He nodded and followed Albus outside. They walked in silence while Albus led the way to a lake, about a quarter mile from their campsite, where they'd swam the day before. When they reached the edge of the water, Albus sat on a large rock and pulled his knees up to his chest. Scorpius stayed standing and watched him for a few moments before joining him on the rock.

"You're making me nervous," Scorpius said, and Albus could feel his eyes on him.

Albus kept his gaze on the water and watched the moonlight glittering on its surface. "Can you not look at me, when I say what I'm about to say?"

He saw Scorpius cock his head in his periphery, then slowly turn so he was facing the lake. "Okay. What's wrong?"

Albus took a deep breath. "I like you. Like - in a gay way. I have for a while, and that's sort of why I freaked out when I came out to you. It was...a lot."

Albus sighed and placed his forehead on his knees. "I'm obviously not telling you as a big declaration of love, or anything, and I'm not secretly hoping to turn you to gay. I just - feel like there's been a distance, or barrier, between us, and that it might be related to this. I suspect you sort of already know, in a way, and...I don't know...I wanted to get it out in the open. So, maybe now we can just acknowledge it, and move on."

Scorpius was quiet and the only sound was an owl hooting in the distance. Albus focused on his breathing as he waited for Scorpius to respond. "You like me?"

Albus kept his head down. "Yes. That's what I just said."

"I don't understand what you expect me to say to that," Scorpius said, carefully. Albus wanted to look at him, but resisted the urge, knowing that if he caught a hint of revulsion in Scorpius's expression, it would probably kill him.

"Say whatever you're thinking, I guess. I hadn't thought past this part, honestly."

"What do you want from me, Albus? I'll never like you like that. Is that what you need to hear? Confirmation that nothing romantic will ever happen between us?" Scorpius said, a little angrily.

Albus took a deep breath. "No. I already knew that. You don't have to be so nasty about it," his voice was shaking now, and he tried to keep it steady.

"What would you do if this were reversed?" Scorpius asked. "Don't you see that you've put me in an impossible situation?"

Albus finally looked up at Scorpius and saw that he was angry. That just made Albus angry too. "It's not always about you, Scor," he bit back. "If things were reversed, I'm sure I'd say just the right thing to make you feel better, like I always do."

Albus got up and started pacing the area between the rock and the lake. "Do you know how hard it is to be your friend? To deal with your moods, your bossiness, your competitiveness? All on top of trying to push these...feelings, to the side. It's...uncomfortable, to say the least. But I do it anyway, for you."

Albus stopped pacing and turned to face Scorpius. "I have always been exactly who you needed me to be. Study partner, cheerleader, secret keeper, rescuer, partner in crime, best mate. Can you be what I need, for once?"

Albus stepped closer to Scorpius and saw him set his jaw, but he didn't respond.

"If this were reversed," Albus continued, "I'd think about you and what you needed, Scorpius, and not about how uncomfortable I was feeling. But I can already see from your face that you're not going to be able to do the same."

Albus turned back toward the path as tears welled in his eyes. He stopped after several paces when Scorpius said his name.

"It's not fair," Scorpius said, in a soft voice.

"What's not fair?" Albus asked, keeping his back turned to him.

"You want me to be someone I'm not. I'll never be you, able to completely live my life for someone else. It's not even something I think is healthy. It's more obsessive, then anything."

Albus felt like he'd been stabbed. He didn't know what to say to that. He took a steadying breath and turned back to face Scorpius. He was still sitting on the rock and had his chin propped on his knees. Albus's voice was rough when he spoke. "I'll switch with Hugo tonight and sleep with James. That way you won't have to worry about me crawling into bed with you, in case my obsession gets too out of hand."

Albus paused and counted to twenty in his head. He'd give Scorpius this chance to take it back, say something better, be supportive, or simply say there was no need for Albus to switch rooms. He didn't do any of those things. Instead, Scorpius gave Albus a curt nod before turning back to the lake.

* * *

_Christmas Break, Sixth Year_

* * *

**Scorpius Malfoy**

After Albus told Scorpius he liked him, they ignored each other for the rest of the camping trip. They also stopped visiting each other's houses for the following week. Scorpius didn't know where they were supposed to go from there. Then the next time he saw Albus, during Aunt Ginny's birthday party at the Burrow a few weeks before the start of term, Albus brought up the topic himself.

Albus, Nira, and Scorpius were shooting spells at a group of gnomes at the edge of the yard when Albus turned to Nira and said simply, "You were wrong, Nira. I wanted to document it in the official record, since it rarely happens."

"What?" She'd dropped her wand and turned to look at him, confused.

"I told Scorpius how I feel, and it was an awful idea. It didn't clear the air. If anything, it made it worse. I just thought you should know." Just then, he landed a stunning spell aimed at one of the gnomes and smiled to himself when it fell over.

Nira had looked over at Scorpius and her hazel eyes were angry. "Were you a prat?"

Scorpius was surprised. He hadn't expected Albus to bring it up. When Scorpius didn't respond, Nira looked at Albus for an answer to her question, but he'd kept his face blank.

"You were insensitive, weren't you, Scorpius?" she asked. "Merlin! I expected better from you. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Scorpius stayed quiet and luckily, she'd dropped it, but continued to give him mean looks for the rest of the day.

After that, neither of the boys brought it up again, but it sat there in front of them like a giant hippogriff every time they were together.

What followed was Scorpius's worst term of his Hogwarts career. He had to deal with Miriam as Quidditch captain (which was awful), he was incredibly busy with his prefect duties on top of all the homework from the nine N.E.W.T. classes he'd taken on, and Tabitha had demanded his remaining (limited) free time.

In the midst of all this chaos, he didn't have Albus to make him feel better. They still spent time together during meals and studying, but it was awkward. It was like they had forgotten how to be together.

A few years ago, Scorpius's father had told him that he hadn't known what it was like to have a close friend until he was in his early 20s. That had made no sense to Scorpius. He knew his father had known Theo, Blaise, and Daphne in school. If they weren't close, then what had they talked about for seven years of school?

When he had asked his father this, his father said they'd talked about nothing. He said they all spoke, obviously, and passed the time together, but that there had been no substance to their conversations. Scorpius finally knew what that felt like. That was exactly how the last term had passed between Albus and him.

They talked about classes, the weather, and general school news, but nothing real. And they'd stopped doing fun things together like stupid pranks, sneaking around the castle, exploring the Forbidden Forest, or going to the Astronomy Tower to look at the stars while chatting for hours - like they'd done on the roof of Scorpius's house growing up.

Scorpius would often wonder if Albus was doing these fun things with someone else. Nira maybe? Or worse, Thomas? _No_ , he'd remind himself. _Albus doesn't like Thomas like that. He likes me._

This was a thought that would pop into Scorpius's head about twelves times a day. Every time it did, he would try his best to push it to the back of his mind. But occasionally, when his mind wandered, like while he was flying, struggling to stay awake in History of Magic, or listening to Tabitha prattle on, it would creep back to the forefront of his thoughts.

His mind continuously replayed that conversation with Albus at the lake and, every time, Scorpius cringed when he thought of how he'd reacted and how he'd been completely incapable of saying anything useful. Albus had outlined so clearly what he needed. Instead of saying something like, "I'm sorry you feel that way." , "Is there anything I can do to help?", or, "I still care about you," he'd insulted Albus and let him walk away, thinking (incorrectly) that Scorpius was disgusted with him.

The only person Scorpius was disgusted with, was himself. Disgust was not at all what he felt toward Albus and his confession, but the true emotion was complicated and took Scorpius a solid month to name.

It was fear.

It took him another few weeks to determine what it was he was afraid of. There were a lot of things he was afraid of, but the biggest one was losing Albus. Unfortunately, that was happening anyway.

By Halloween, Scorpius decided to stop trying to push his thoughts of Albus from his mind, but to bring them front and center and examine them instead. He laid out all the facts, like he would an Arithmancy problem, then tried to be objective as he considered each one.

The fact that Albus liked him, alone, wasn't really a big deal. It was obviously a big deal for Albus, but it shouldn't have affected Scorpius as much as it did. There were obviously more variables to consider. That's when he remembered what Albus had said about something being off between them prior to the camping trip. Albus had been right about that, but he'd been wrong about the reason.

Albus thought Scorpius had been acting weird because he sensed Albus liked him, but Scorpius knew that wasn't true. This led to the next obvious question - what _had_ been the issue?

Why had Scorpius hated Thomas? Or, more specially, the idea of Albus and Thomas together? Why had Scorpius gotten a cold pit in his stomach anytime he considered Albus kissing another bloke, or when he talked about having sex? Why had Scorpius suddenly become uncomfortable anytime Albus touched him, then started missing it once he'd stopped?

There was one possible explanation, but Scorpius only let himself think about it late at night, when everyone else was asleep, and the thoughts he kept trying to push out of his mind finally demanded attention.

This was why Scorpius had pulled Theo and Bennett aside today, and was currently sitting on the bed of the spare bedroom at his mum's parents' house, trying to work up the courage to voice his concerns.

Theo and Bennett waited patiently for a few moments, but when it was clear Scorpius was struggling to start, Theo cut in, "Let me guess. You think you're gay."

"What?" Scorpius asked, shocked. He looked down at himself, wondering if there was something on him that had given him away.

"Why else would you want to talk to the two of us?" Theo asked, in a bored tone. "Albus pulled us aside, just like this, a few months before he came out."

"Right, Albus," Scorpius looked down at his hands. "Uh - I - do have questions, about being gay. But I'm not gay, I don't think."

"Be nice, Theo," Bennett muttered to Theo, then he turned to Scorpius and said kindly, "Go ahead, Scorpius. Tell us what's on your mind."

Scorpius bit his lip and asked, "Can you like a bloke and not be gay?"

Bennett nodded, but looked confused. "Uh...sure. Can you explain what you mean?"

"I'm attracted to witches, mostly. But there is a wizard I know, who I also, sort of, like."

Theo regarded him seriously and Scorpius was glad he wasn't laughing at him. "What makes you think you like him?"

Scorpius explained his complicated feelings as best he could. The jealousy, the extreme awareness of Albus's presence, how he was the first person Scorpius wanted to see when anything went right, or wrong, in his life, how every one of Albus's touches were jarring, and, most of all, how Scorpius couldn't stop thinking about him.

Theo narrowed his eyes, "Are you physically attracted to this wizard?"

 _Yes_ , was the first word that popped into his mind. In truth, this was the first time he'd ever let himself really consider it. "I never let myself think about that," Scorpius said honestly.

He had thought more generally about blokes and whether or not he found them attractive. The answer was, no, he did not find any blokes attractive. _Well, no blokes besides Albus_ , a small voice said, but he ignored it for now.

Theo's eyes flashed with annoyance and he walked over the window and looked outside. Bennett sat next to Scorpius on the bed and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"My friend Samantha is bisexual. She describes it as falling in love with a person, and not a gender. I think it is possible to prefer one gender, but then find someone you love so deeply, that you find yourself attracted to someone of the same sex."

Before Scorpius could consider this, Theo cut in, "You're not bisexual, and you're not gay."

Scorpius shrunk in his spot on the bed and he saw Bennett whisper something to Theo but couldn't hear what it was. Theo ignored him. "This bloke you like, is it Albus?"

Scorpius's eyes widened in shock.

"Right, I thought so," Theo said. "Did you finally figure out that he's hopelessly in love with you?"

"Theo!" Bennett hissed, while Scorpius said at the same time, "You knew?"

"Everyone knows," Theo said matter-of-factly. He took a step toward Scorpius and fixed him with a stern glare. "You're not gay," he repeated. "What you are, is a prat. You're just like your father was at your age, before your mum made him nice."

"I think you're being a little harsh, Theo," Bennett cut in.

"I don't agree," Theo said, simply. "I think Scorpius is selfish and can't stand the thought of losing the blind adoration Albus gives him. I think he sees that he's not going to be the center of Albus's world, anymore, so instead of letting his friend move on with his life, he's trying to convince himself he's gay so he can keep him."

Scorpius sat still, trying not to show how much Theo's words were affecting him. "Don't do that, Scorpius. Don't string him along. Let him go. It'll be better for both of you."

Before Scorpius could respond, Theo stormed out of the room, slamming the door hard behind him.

"Sorry," Bennett said gently, once Theo was gone. "He has a soft spot for Albus."

Scorpius nodded and took a long, shaky breath. "Everyone has a soft spot for Albus. Sometimes, I'm convinced my own father prefers him to me. Why wouldn't he? He's kind, and caring, and clever, capable…" he paused, searching for more adjectives, but no words were adequate to properly describe Albus.

"Cool?" Bennett asked with a smile.

Scorpius shook his head. "Actually, no. That's one thing he's not."

"Oh, you were just using words with 'c' sounds...nevermind." Bennett paused to sigh. "I'm sorry, Scorpius, I'm worried we made that more confusing for you."

"What do you think, Bennett? Do you agree with Theo? Or do you think I might actually like him?"

Bennett considered for a few moments before answering. "A person's sexuality and who they love, is extremely personal. But, based on what you said just now - I'm leaning toward Theo's theory, though in kinder terms. I've known both of you your whole lives, and I've never seen any two people so close. At times, I think one of you is like an extension of the other. I understand it would be really hard to feel like you're losing someone you consider to be a part of yourself."

Scorpius dropped his gaze and looked back down at his lap. A few tears escaped and fell onto his leg. Bennett placed a hand on his back. "However," he continued, "I also suspect you may be holding some things back. So...really...only you know."

Scorpius nodded, too embarrassed to look up. Bennett gave his shoulder one final squeeze before letting himself out of the room.

* * *

**Albus Potter**

Albus didn't get Nira a Christmas gift. He was still so angry with her for convincing him to tell Scorpius about his feelings. That had been the worst advice he'd ever received in his life. He was also angry with himself for following it, but preferred to blame Nira, since that felt better; though he knew in the back of his mind it wasn't fair. Fortunately, she was a good sport about it.

Currently, Albus was sitting on Scorpius's bed. When he'd arrived an hour ago, Uncle Draco had informed him that Scorpius was running errands with Rose and his mum in Diagon Alley and was confused that Albus didn't already know this. Albus had shrugged it off and asked if it was okay if he waited for Scorpius in his room.

Since arriving, Albus had stood up to leave four times already, but kept forcing himself to stay. He needed to talk to Scorpius and no matter how painful it was, it couldn't be worse than the past four months.

Albus was petting Tornado and trying to take comfort in his loud purrs, focusing on the feeling of the warm vibrations against his hand, when the door opened and revealed a surprised and slightly angry-looking Scorpius. _Bugger_. Albus didn't need him to be in a bad mood. But honestly, in the past two years, Scorpius had been in a perpetual bad mood.

Albus sighed and started speaking before he had a chance to change his mind. "We need to talk about it. We tried ignoring it all term, and that obviously didn't work."

Scorpius sighed and closed the door before leaning against it. "Fine. Has anything changed?"

"Besides our inability to be alone together? No."

Scorpius started pacing the room and Tornado began weaving through his legs. "You shouldn't have told me!"

"What does it matter? It shouldn't have changed anything. I know it did - but it shouldn't have," Albus argued.

"It changes everything! How do you expect me to carry on like normal? Living in the same dorm, going to all the same classes, eating meals with you, seeing you all the time and having to constantly wonder if you're thinking about me."

Albus scoffed. "Get over yourself, Scor."

Scorpius stopped pacing and faced Albus. "You get over me. Then and only then will we be able to be friends again. We can't carry on like normal if there's even a hint of an attraction between us. Don't you see?"

Albus propped his elbows on his knees and started rubbing his temples. "Fine, Scor. I am over you. Let's just be friends again. Okay?"

"You're a terrible liar," Scorpius said, kindly. When Albus looked up at him, he was leaning against his bookshelf with his arms crossed, regarding Albus with an odd expression.

Albus took this sudden change in mood as a good sign and said carefully, "Let's just assume for a second I can't just turn off how I feel about you, because believe me, if I could, I would have done it ages ago. What else do you suggest?"

Scorpius sighed and looked toward the Night Viper dragon figurine on the shelf. "Maybe you should try to get a life away from me, instead of just living mine."

Albus looked at him, incredulously. Where did he get off on being so fucking obnoxious? "How am I living your life?" Albus asked, in a cold tone.

Scorpius shrugged and kept his gaze away from him. "You're always around, for one."

"Need I remind you what happened when you went off on your own? You murdered a bloody animal, Scor. Pun intended," he added, cruelly.

"I would have managed fine," Scorpius snapped back. "I don't need you like you need me!" He hesitated and Albus suspected he was trying to convince himself of this fact.

"Why can't we just need each other? Where's the harm in accepting that we have important roles in the other person's life? You were fine with that, before."

Scorpius looked sad and glanced away from Albus again, back to the bookshelf. Albus got off the bed and approached him slowly, stopping when he was a few feet away.

"I only told you because I felt like something had broken between us, and I desperately wanted to fix it. I honestly thought you already knew. I was trying to channel my inner Gryffindor and be bold, but obviously that was stupid. I should have kept the secret, like a proper Slytherin. That was my mistake, and I'm sorry."

"I'm a Slytherin, Albus. You just followed me there because you're obsessed with me." Albus's chest clenched painfully and he took a step back. He saw Scorpius's eyes fill with tears and he looked immediately guilty. There was more here, something else Scorpius wasn't saying, but Albus was too hurt to muster the energy to figure out what it was.

"What do you want from me, Scor?"

Scorpius took a deep breath, then said to ground. "I want you to leave me alone."

The tears that Albus had been holding back, finally began to fall. There was nothing else to say. Scorpius could not have made his wishes any clearer.

"Okay. Done." Albus lifted his hand, about to place it on Scorpius's arm, but he changed his mind and dropped it.

When Albus reached the door, he turned around one last time and saw Scorpius looking out the window with tears silently streaming down his face.

"I tried, Scor. I think there's more going on here that you're not telling me. Or maybe not. Maybe, you're just finished with me. I - I'm sorry."

When Albus got downstairs, he turned toward the front door instead of the drawing room, not wanting to see anyone else. It was a long walk back to Grimmauld Place, but it would be good to sort through his thoughts. He went home the long way, but after several hours of walking the streets of Muggle London, he hadn't been able to figure out what else was wrong with Scorpius. One thing was clear, though; things between Scorpius and him were never going to return to the way they were.

* * *

**Scorpius Malfoy**

Scorpius hadn't been ready to talk to Albus. He'd still been reeling from his conversation with Theo and Bennett from a few days before, when Theo had completely dismissed his feelings and claimed Scorpius was just a selfish prat. Scorpius couldn't even be angry with Theo. Theo had simply put into words something Scorpius had been feeling about himself for a long time.

Even if he did like Albus, it didn't matter, because he was the worst person in the world, and Albus only deserved the best. When Albus had come over to talk to Scorpius, he'd been open and sincere. Scorpius had shut him down, been mean, and sent him away. Scorpius was despicable.

The whole time, he'd wanted to throw his arms around Albus. Scorpius wanted to tell him he was scared, and worried that if he made the wrong move, he'd lose his best mate for good, but look at what Scorpius had done instead. This was the first time in Scorpius's life when he hadn't been able to speak openly with Albus.

A few years ago, his mum had told him that Slytherins liked to close themselves off from most people. She'd said it was okay, as long as Scorpius opened up to someone. She'd warned that without that outlet, though, he'd risk losing himself. That's exactly what was happening to Scorpius now. He'd lost the ability to be his true self with Albus, and as a consequence, he was unraveling more and more each day.

Since his argument with Albus, Scorpius had been developing a plan to make it right. The plan revolved around his Runes textbook, which Albus had borrowed before the end of term. Albus had some theory that applying spells to potion ingredients, ahead of brewing certain potions, could affect their potency or effectiveness. So far, he hadn't been able to get it to work.

Albus had some idea that Runes could help, but Scorpius hadn't been paying much attention to that conversation. He remembered Albus had been sitting close to him on the couch in the common room that night, since most of the seats were filled, and Scorpius had been trying to ignore the feeling of his leg resting against his, but it had taken up most of his mental energy to do so.

Scorpius's current plan to fix things with Albus, was to go to his house with the excuse of getting his Runes textbook. Once there, he would try to say something nice and supportive, instead of all the awful things that had been coming out of his mouth lately.

He practiced with Tornado, trying to pretend the cat was Albus, but even with a fake Albus, Scorpius couldn't make the words come up. He couldn't figure out what to say to his friend, since he himself had no idea what was going on.

One night, when Scorpius returned from his family's weekly dinner at Malfoy Manor, the Runes textbook was on his bed. His heart dropped. His whole plan to see Albus had failed before he'd even fleshed it out. Without the book, he had no reason to visit him. The fact that Albus had brought it back, when he'd known Scorpius would be gone, meant he didn't want to see Scorpius.

Scorpius threw the book against the closet and when it hit the ground, three things fell out of it: the Marauder's map, a chocolate frog card, and a letter. Scorpius bent to pick up the letter and sat on his bed before reading it.

_Scorpius,_

_I figured you needed this but hadn't come to get it since you don't want to see me anymore. Sorry for sneaking in. I didn't rifle through any of your belongings or take anything so I could sleep with it under my pillow later, in case you were worried._

_I still love you, Scor, as a friend, more than anything else. And I'm not ashamed to say that I need you in my life, even though you find that notion repulsive._

_I'm sorry I broke things between us. I blame Nira's bad advice. I hope, in time, we can figure out how to fix it. When you're ready, you know where to find me._

_-Albus_

_P.S. Take the map for Prefect rounds. I don't need it without my partner in crime. And the Agrippa card, well, it stopped working for me. I kept it on me all term and still had the worst few months of my life. Maybe it'll work better for you._

Scorpius crumpled the note in his hand, then immediately changed his mind and smoothed it out. He laid on his stomach on the bed and read it three more times. The last time, he touched his fingers carefully on Albus's signature, which was barely legible. He'd always had awful handwriting.

Scorpius folded the letter carefully and placed it in his pocket, then he crossed the room and picked up the chocolate frog card and returned to the bed. It was worn at the edges and Scorpius remembered the day Albus had shown it to him for the first time and the look of pure joy on his face. He remembered all the times Albus had loaned the card to Scorpius: every exam (even though Albus was taking the same exam), each Quidditch match, and even that time Albus had encouraged Scorpius to talk to his mum about his father and the war.

It was Albus's most prized possession, and he'd given it to Scorpius, even after the terrible way he'd treated him. Albus didn't need to write the letter, just giving Scorpius this card had sent a clear message: Albus hadn't given up on him yet. Scorpius looked at it for a long time before putting it in his pocket next to the letter. After that, he curled up into a ball on his bed and cried.

* * *

_Easter Break, Sixth Year_

* * *

**Scorpius Malfoy**

Scorpius had thought the first term of his sixth year was bad, but it was nothing compared to the second term. At least last year, he and Albus were still talking. Now, they communicated solely through curt nods and silent gestures. Albus started eating at the Ravenclaw table and spent most of his free time in the Ravenclaw common room and Potions lab.

Scorpius knew this because he'd started stalking the _Albus Potter_ dot on the Marauder's map. Every morning, if Albus wasn't in his bed, Scorpius would remove the map from under his pillow and look for Albus on it. He was usually running outside, or moving around in an empty classroom, probably doing the Auror exercises he'd told Nira about last year.

Then Scorpius would keep the map close all day and check on it anytime he didn't know where Albus was. He knew it was obsessive and also ironic, since he'd accused Albus of being obsessed with him, but it made Scorpius feel better and between Quidditch, Prefect duties, and his giant course load, he welcomed anything that helped him relax; even if it was really creepy.

Scorpius desperately wanted Albus to come to him one day and ask him if he wanted to sneak into the kitchens, or even play a game of exploding snap. But Albus left him alone and Scorpius couldn't even fault him for it, because he was just doing what Scorpius had asked.

Scorpius still saw Nira pretty often, since she was a Prefect, and they'd worked it out so they were always on the same rounds together. They used the map to monitor the castle from the Prefect Office which saved them from having to walk the halls for hours looking for troublemakers.

When they met up for rounds, Nira never missed an opportunity to scold Scorpius for being such a prat to Albus and remind him that he didn't deserve a friend like her cousin. That was sort of the point of their separation, he'd think to himself, but he never told her this. Usually, after her initial admonition, she'd let it drop and behave like a proper friend, which he was grateful for, since she was all he had now.

He'd dumped Tabitha a few weeks after returning from break. She'd tried to call him "Scor" and he'd told her off, saying that was a nickname reserved for his closest friends and family. That had led to a fight and Scorpius realized he didn't even like her anymore and had just stayed with her this long to counter his growing loneliness.

Since he wasn't talking to Albus in real life, Scorpius had started playing out conversations with him in his head. Not the heavy one he knew they needed to have, just small ones. He'd tell him about his day, or something he heard from a Prefect meeting, or just a stupid joke that had popped into his head. Then he'd imagine what Albus would say in return. It was incredibly pathetic.

Though stalking Albus on the map or having pretend conversations with him was not the most pathetic thing Scorpius had done that term. That title was reserved for what he had to do these days to fall asleep. Scorpius waited until everyone in the room was asleep. Then he'd open the curtain on the right side of his bed, the side next to Albus's bed, and turn toward his friend's bed, straining his ears, until he could hear him breathing.

While he listened to Albus's even breathing and tried to drift off to sleep, he'd think about his feelings for Albus and the conversation he'd had with Theo and Bennett on Christmas. He'd ask himself the same two questions. The first - did he like Albus in the same way Albus liked him? When it was dark, he could honestly say - yes. In the daylight, his answer to this was always fuzzier.

Then came the second question. If he liked Albus, why was he holding back? The answer to this question was more of a feeling that Scorpius struggled to assign the proper words to.

When he imagined himself with Albus in a romantic relationship, he felt sick to his stomach. But it wasn't the physical part he struggled with. That part, the few times he let himself imagine it, made him feel the opposite of sick.

Scorpius was physically attracted to Albus, that much he was finally able to admit to himself. And in many ways, Albus was the most appealing option out of all the people he'd ever considered having sex with. Not only did Scorpius love Albus, but he trusted him implicitly. Albus was the only person Scorpius had ever allowed himself to be completely vulnerable around.

However, Scorpius still didn't feel gay, and didn't even feel bisexual. He always assumed bisexual people liked both genders equally, but Scorpius had never found any other bloke attractive. He seemed to be straight, except for when it came to Albus, if that was even a thing. But it didn't matter because the sexuality thing wasn't what was holding Scorpius back; that was just a convenient excuse.

When Scorpius thought of dating Albus and felt sick, it wasn't because of the physical parts of being with him, but the emotional ones. The parts of a relationship that kept it going for a lifetime, through good and bad times. The actions Scorpius had seen his parents demonstrate his whole life. Being there for your partner, saying the right thing to cheer them up when they're down, putting up with all their flaws, being open and honest. Simply put, all the things Albus excelled at, and Scorpius had never figured out.

The reason Scorpius was holding back was because he knew, deep in his heart, that he wasn't good enough for Albus, and never would be.

The last words in Albus's letter kept floating around in his mind. _When you're ready, you know where to find me._ But for those first few months of the term, Scorpius was never ready. He'd mostly decided that even though he liked Albus back, he could never pursue a romantic relationship with him, since he'd undoubtedly end up hurting Albus.

Scorpius was also scared of trying to go back to being just friends, since he was worried that now that he knew he returned Albus's feelings, he'd wouldn't be able to act the same around him. So instead of being courageous and telling Albus everything on his mind, or just apologizing and trying to mend the friendship as best he could, he did the cowardly thing and stayed away.

A few nights before Easter break, Scorpius was reading in bed when he heard Albus and Kemp talking about their plans for the two weeks they had off. Kemp was telling Albus about a trip his family was going on to Spain and Albus said he was staying at Hogwarts for a few days at the start of break to prepare for a Potions competition Professor Knightly had encouraged him to enter. That was the first Scorpius had heard of a Potions competition.

The next day, Scorpius scanned the board in the common room, but didn't see any notices about the competition. Then he checked the Daily Prophet and saw a brief mention of an International Potions Contest in London in a few days, and figured that was it. It seemed to be a big deal, since the article said only one student was allowed to enter from each school. So Albus would be representing all of Hogwarts, and he was just a sixth year. When he'd been talking to Kemp, he made it sound like nothing. This was just typical Albus, always so humble.

Scorpius had originally planned to go home for the first week of the break, then come back the second week for Quidditch practices. They usually didn't practice over breaks, but they had their final match of the season against Hufflepuff one week after the break and if they won by at least 50 points, they'd win the house cup. There were also going to be scouts there from all the major Quidditch teams in the country, so everyone was eager to fly well that day.

After learning that Albus would be staying on for the beginning of the break, Scorpius decided to stay at Hogwarts with him. Maybe if it was just the two of them in the room for a few days with no classes or dormmates to distract them, Scorpius would finally be able to work up the courage to talk to Albus.

The first day of the break, Albus woke up before Scorpius and spent the entire morning in the Potions classroom. As he watched the _Albus Potter_ dot on the map, Scorpius wondered what a Potions competition entailed. If he wasn't such a coward, he could come right out and ask Albus.

Scorpius went to the library to catch up on homework, then ate lunch, keeping the map out the whole time. He was in the Dining Hall when he saw Albus's dot leave the Potions classroom and he sprinted back to the dorm. He jumped on his bed and pulled out a book. He was breathing heavily and pretending to read when Albus walked in a minute later.

Albus looked surprised to see Scorpius and that was probably why he talked directly to Scorpius for the first time in ages. "Oh. You didn't go home?"

"No. Uh, I'm staying for Quidditch," Scorpius explained, then asked, pretending he didn't know, "Why are you here?"

"I have a Potions competition on Tuesday. I'm practicing with Professor Knightly leading up to it. I'll leave you alone, I just need to get a few books."

Scorpius watched Albus dig through his trunk and put three books and the earmuffs his father had made for him in his bag. He wondered then if anyone had been reading over Albus's assignments for him. Hopefully. Maybe Nira was doing it? Scorpius made a mental note to check with her after the break.

"You don't have to go," Scorpius said as Albus closed his trunk and stood up. "You can stay. We can...hang out?"

Albus shook his head. "I'm okay. Thanks."

When Albus got to the door, Scorpius jumped out of bed and ran after him, catching him by the arm as he was walking into the hall. "Albus."

Albus turned out of his grasp and stepped backward into the hall. His expression was uncharacteristically blank as he waited patiently for Scorpius to speak.

"Please stay," Scorpius said, insistently.

Albus averted his eyes, looking down the hall toward the common room, and bit the inside of his cheek. He sighed before turning back to Scorpius. "Sorry, Scorpius. Not this time. I need to focus on my competition and you - have a tendency to demand attention. Maybe later this week."

"After you win?" Scorpius asked with a small smile.

Albus shrugged and left him alone in the room.

* * *

**Albus Potter**

The morning of Albus's competition, he woke up before dawn. He was incredibly nervous and kept running through potions ingredients in his head. The contestants had been given a list of thirty possible potions they'd be asked to brew and right before the competition, three of them would be randomly chosen.

Albus had made every potion on the list in the past few weeks but remembering the nuances of brewing each one would be hard. He wasn't allowed to bring notes and would only be handed the list of ingredients in each potion at the start of the competition. Professor Knightly said the instructions for brewing each potion would not be provided.

As he sat up in bed, he looked to his left and saw Scorpius was still sleeping. Since they'd returned from break, Scorpius had stopped sleeping with his curtains drawn (just on Albus's side) and always seemed to be facing him. It was odd and seemed to go against his request that Albus leave him alone. Shouldn't Scorpius want to hide from Albus?

Albus pushed the thought from his mind. He couldn't think about Scorpius right now. He needed to focus on the contest.

Albus dressed quickly, then snuck into the kitchens and grabbed a couple scones before making his way to Professor Knightly's office at the other end of the dungeons. The competition was in London and he was apparating there with Professor Knightly from Hogsmeade, where his parents and Lily would meet them.

Professor Knightly drilled him one last time as they walked to Hogsmeade. Then, when they arrived at the large hall where the competition was taking place, she told him to take some time to clear his mind and relax and turned to talk to his parents. Professor Knightly was extremely strict and typically quiet, so Albus was surprised when she went on and on about how impressive he was and how she'd never encountered someone with such a natural affinity for brewing potions.

His dad started asking her what getting a potions mastery entailed, and also what the potential career options were, besides teaching. His mum was listening intently to Professor Knightly's response, while Lily looked bored out of her mind. Albus started scanning the crowd, to see if there were any other kids Lily's age when he saw a familiar shock of blond hair.

In a few moments, Scorpius had joined the group. He greeted everyone with a shy smile and no one besides Albus looked surprised to see him here. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Scorpius whispered to Albus.

Albus sighed. Hadn't he just told Scorpius the other day to leave him alone until the end of the competition? Scorpius never listened, did he?

Albus followed him to the edge of the room and looked back at him, annoyed. "What is it?"

Scorpius held the Agrippa chocolate frog card out. "You forgot this."

Albus's eyes filled with tears, but he blinked them back. He pushed the card away. "I told you I don't think it works anymore. And like you're always saying, it's for kids."

"Yeah, but we're kids. Well - you're technically of age, but we're still in school," Scorpius sighed, and his eyes looked sad. "Take it. Please? I mean, I don't think you need it or anything. But it couldn't hurt."

"Fine." Albus took the card and shoved it in his pocket before turning back to the group.

"Wait," Scorpius said.

Albus sighed and turned to face him again. "What?"

"Can I stay?" Scorpius asked. "Is that okay?"

Albus was silent. What was Scorpius doing? And why now?

"I mean, I won't," Scorpius continued when Albus didn't answer. "Not if you don't want me to."

Albus sighed again. "You can stay. But it will be really boring, so I hope you brought a book or something."

* * *

The competition lasted eight hours and the three potions Albus had to brew (Draught of the Living Death, Wolfsbane, and Aging Potion) were not his favorites, but he thought he did okay, especially considering that every time he looked over at where his parents, Lily, and Scorpius were sitting, Scorpius was staring at him intently.

His parents and Lily took breaks walking around, reading, chatting, or even playing games with each other - which Albus didn't mind. He didn't expect them to sit there motionless for a solid eight hours. But Scorpius did just that.

What was he thinking about while he watched Albus? Probably not Potions, since Scorpius didn't really like the subject. He was likely thinking about Albus. Did he miss Albus as much as Albus missed him? Was Scorpius studying Albus for signs of attraction, to see if maybe his feelings toward Scorpius had faded enough to where Scorpius could stand him again? It was impossible to tell.

Albus got second place, which Professor Knightly assured him was incredible for someone his age. The witch who'd won was two years older than Albus and had been practicing full-time for this competition for a year. Albus had only been prepping for a few months and had to fit his practice sessions in with all his other classes.

His parents were thrilled and a little confused, since neither of them had been very good at Potions or ever liked the subject. Lily congratulated him politely, but mostly seemed relieved that it was all over. Scorpius seemed the proudest of all and was beaming widely.

They said goodbye to Professor Knightly, who was heading to dinner with some friends she had in town, then Albus's dad threw his arm around Albus and admired the small silver trophy of a potions flask he'd won.

"You did so great today, Albus," his dad said, pulling him into a half-hug. "We need to celebrate. Let's go to dinner. You pick the spot."

"Uhh…Silver Goblet?" Albus suggested.

"Oh, I love their desserts. Good choice, Albus," Lily said.

"Are you coming, Scorpius?" his mum asked.

Before Scorpius could respond, Albus answered for him. "No. He's busy. He has Quidditch practice back at school tonight."

His mum looked confused. "Over the break?"

Scorpius kept his eyes on Albus and nodded. "Yeah. Our captain is going a little insane since this is our first shot at winning the house cup in years. I should go."

"Do you need one of us to Apparate you back?" his dad asked.

Albus hadn't thought of that. How had Scorpius got here? He thought he knew. "I'll do it," Albus said, "Then I'll meet you all at the restaurant."

Albus and Scorpius walked quietly to the Apparation point outside. "I know you don't need me," Albus said when they were several feet from the abandoned alley everyone was disapparting from. "I assume you apparated here on your own, even without a license. It's the only way you could have got here so quickly."

Scorpius nodded. "That was really impressive. I have no idea how you remembered how to make all those potions. And how you managed to stay focused for so long…"

Albus was about to point out that he wasn't the only one of them who'd been completely focused for eight hours, but kept it to himself.

"And you beat out all those older witches and wizards," Scorpius continued.

Albus crossed his arms. "You're not going to say second place is first loser?"

Scorpius looked hurt and shook his head. "No. I think you should be proud."

Albus felt bad for snapping at him and sighed. "I am. Thank you for coming. I guess the card worked." Albus took it out of his pocket and held it out to Scorpius.

"You keep it. It's yours."

"Okay." Albus shoved the card back in his pocket, then the two boys regarded each other for a few moments. Scorpius looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't figure out how to put it into words. Albus waited patiently, but after another minute of silence, Albus figured he was just reading into things too much. "I should go. Bye, Scorpius."

Albus walked a few paces to the alley and turned on his toe, forcing himself not to look back at Scorpius. When he reappeared in Diagon Alley, the tears he'd been holding in began to fall. He wiped his eyes quickly with his sleeves, then braced his hands on the brick wall in front of him and took several, calming breaths. On the fourth breath, he felt a hand on his back and saw his dad standing next to him.

"We can skip this. We can go home, instead," his dad said kindly.

"No. I want to celebrate. Let's go." Albus took one last breath, then straightened his spine and followed his dad into the restaurant.

* * *

Albus wasn't surprised when someone knocked on his bedroom door later that night. He knew his dad wasn't going to let that earlier moment, from the alley outside the restaurant, go so easily.

"Hey," his dad said as he walked into the room. "I just wanted to check on you and see if you're okay."

Albus considered lying and saying he was fine. Maybe it was the months of isolation and heavy silences that were suddenly broken today by Scorpius, who seemed to be trying to behave normally again, without any explanation, that made Albus finally give in and decide to confide in someone else.

"I'm not okay, Dad." Albus sighed and sat on his bed. His dad joined him.

"Is it because of the fight you're in with Scorpius?"

"What makes you think we're in a fight?"

"Well, after Christmas, he didn't come round the house. His name hasn't appeared in any of your letters all term. And today, well, I've never seen the two of you so awkward around each other before."

Albus gave his dad a small smile. "You're very observant."

"It's my job to be," he said, returning Albus's smile. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Not really," Albus sighed. "It's very embarrassing."

"Tell me," his dad pressed. "I think it will make you feel better. And I promise not to laugh."

Albus dipped his head down and took a deep breath before responding. "I love him. Like, romantically, and...I told him." He sighed and kept looking down. "It didn't go well," Albus added, unnecessarily.

"That's what you fought about?" His dad sounded upset and when Albus peered over at him he saw that his green eyes, so like his own, were alight with anger.

"Sort of. I told him over the summer and after that first conversation, he was just sort of shocked. We didn't talk about it again and the first term was really awkward. So, I cornered him over Christmas break and I tried to explain I wasn't trying to proposition him, or turn him gay. That I had just told him because...I don't know...I tell him everything."

"Then what?" his dad asked.

"He was really upset. And he told me to leave him alone. So I did, and I haven't properly talked to him until today."

His dad was quiet and when Albus lifted his head and looked over at him, the anger from before was gone and he looked sad. "Scorpius didn't look like he wanted to be left alone today. He watched you for the entire competition with no breaks, then looked upset when you dismissed him afterwards."

Albus nodded. "I know. But - that's the first time he's tried to act like my friend all term. I don't know what changed for him, but - I'm worried we won't just be able to carry on like nothing happened." Albus looked down again and added softly, "He really hurt my feelings."

He heard his dad sigh heavily, then he leaned against Albus, comfortingly. "I have been in a lot of situations, but nothing like this, so I can't provide much help. I can say I know how hard it is to be in a fight with your friend, who you also live with and have to see in every class. I had a big one with your Uncle Ron, in my fourth year. And it was hard enough, without the whole unrequited love bit."

Albus couldn't help but laugh.

"Anyway," his dad continued, "I'm sure it's been awful. I'm so sorry you've been going through that."

Albus gave him a small smile.

"I wish there was something I could do for you," his dad said. "I'd offer to punch his father again, but I'm not sure that would be much help."

Albus laughed again. "You can leave Uncle Draco alone. But I may ask you to punch Scorpius himself one of these days."

"I can do that. I should probably wait a few months for him to come of age, so I don't get arrested for assaulting a minor, but once he's seventeen, just say the word."

Albus couldn't help but smile as he imagined how alarmed Scorpius would be if his dad cornered him and punched him, out of nowhere. His dad wrapped his arm around Albus and pulled him into his chest. "I'm so proud of you, Albus."

Albus looked over at the trophy on his desk.

"Not for that," his dad said, when he saw where Albus was looking. "Well, yes, for that, but that's not what I meant just now. I'm proud of you for being bold, and brave, and knowing exactly who you are and not being afraid to be that person. I told you that you were named after two of the bravest wizards I ever met - it was a good choice."

Albus returned his dad's hug, then sat back up on the bed. "Thank you, Dad."

His dad stood up and regarded Albus with a serious expression. "I think you and Scorpius are going to be okay. It sounds like he might have some insecurities he needs to work through. When you do talk again, don't bury your feelings. Stick up for yourself, okay?"

Albus nodded and looked down. Did his dad know about his tendency to always put Scorpius first? Was he that obvious? "Thanks, Dad. I was sort of dreading talking to you, but I feel a little better."

His dad snorted. "Okay, I'm taking that as a compliment." He turned to leave but Albus stopped him before he reached the hall.

"Can you not tell his parents? I know you all talk about us, but can this stay between us?"

"Of course," his dad said, earnestly. He went to close the door but stopped and turned back to Albus. "Can I tell your mum?"

Albus shrugged. "I assumed you would."

His dad nodded and smiled one last time before leaving. "I love you. Good night."

"I love you too, Dad."

* * *

**Scorpius Malfoy**

After the potions competition, Scorpius chose to stay at Hogwarts for the remainder of the break. He didn't want to go home and have his parents ask him where Albus was, and he could use the time to get ahead on some of his school work.

He kept looking at the map, but had to remind himself Albus wasn't on there. He was on a high after talking to his friend for the first time in ages. Scorpius had no idea why he'd stayed away from Albus for so long. He'd convinced himself he needed to figure everything out before going back to him, but Scorpius could figure out his feelings toward Albus while still being his friend.

It didn't have to be all or nothing. Wasn't Albus always telling him he needed to relax and stop trying to make everything perfect? Scorpius was finally ready to take that advice and committed to talking to Albus as soon as he was back at Hogwarts.

The Monday of the second week of the break, after a long practice, Scorpius went to the Prefects' bathroom for a bath. When he returned to the Slytherin common room, he found his teammates circled around a table near the fire. He was about to ignore them and retire to his dorm, when he heard someone mutter, "Potter." He walked over to see what they were working on and his stomach dropped.

They'd enlarged the photo of Albus that had appeared in the Daily Prophet the week before following his win at the Potions competition. In the original photo, he'd been forced to pose with his parents while holding his trophy. The Albus in the photo was as humble and uncomfortable with attention as the real Albus, and kept trying to hold the trophy down, out of sight, while also scanning the edges of the photo for an escape route.

Scorpius's teammates had removed Albus's parents from the photo and spelled the trophy to look like a penis, so it appeared that Albus was stroking his own cock while glancing around the photo, as if worried someone was going to find him. They'd added a title across the top that said: _Beware of Peeping Potter_ and there was a short paragraph underneath the title that was too small for Scorpius to read, but he had seen enough.

He felt sick and his eyes flashed angrily to Miriam, who was looking at him, challengingly. He ignored the rest of the students, some of whom were eyeing him nervously, and spoke directly to her. "If you want me playing in the final match and want any shot at winning the Cup, you'll burn all of those, now."

Miriam leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms in front of her. "I was telling the team that I don't think you'll skip out this time."

"You've tried to call my bluff before. Do I need to remind you how that game went?" Scorpius sneered.

"That was the first game of the season in your fifth year. This is different. This is the final game that will decide who wins the cup. And there will be scouts there. I know you've dreamed of playing professionally and skipping out on a game like this, won't help you achieve that goal."

Scorpius gave her his nastiest scowl. He hated when she referred to things he'd told her when they'd been dating, like how he'd always dreamed of being a professional Quidditch player.

"I'm not playing," he repeated. "Nor will I be attending practice for the rest of the week."

Scorpius took all of the photos they'd made off the table and threw them into the fireplace before marching back to his room. He heard Miriam tell someone, "He won't be able to stay away," when he got to the hall.

When Scorpius got to his room, he went to Albus's trunk and applied as many locking charms as he could think of. Then he went to Albus's nightstand and before he locked that, picked up the photo on top and studied it.

It was a picture of Albus and his family, in front of a Christmas tree, from two years ago. The Albus in the photo was smiling wickedly into the camera, then would glance at James every so often. Scorpius had taken this photo and been behind the camera. He knew Albus's smile in the photo was directed right at him. They'd played some sort of prank on James, he didn't remember exactly what it was anymore, but they both knew he'd find it as soon as he got back to his room.

Scorpius touched his hand to the glass. Why was everyone at Hogwarts so mean to Albus? He was incredible, unbelievably kind, and had never done anything to harm anyone. And even after this prank, Scorpius knew Albus would just shrug and probably feel bad for his tormentors, deep down.

This time Scorpius didn't know how to protect him. The threat of not playing Quidditch was the strongest amount of leverage he had. Without that, he didn't know what to do. He sighed and put the photo in Albus's nightstand before locking that too.

* * *

Two days later, Scorpius was playing with Tornado in his dorm during Quidditch practice, when someone knocked on the door. He had no idea who it could be. Maybe one of his more sensible teammates, begging him to reconsider playing? Perhaps Scorpius could still get them to stop their disgusting prank.

When Scorpius opened the door, he was surprised to find Aunt Ginny on the other side. His eyes widened in shock when he saw her.

"Can I come in?" she asked, kindly. Scorpius nodded and returned to sitting on his bed. Tornado realized Scorpius was finished playing and curled up on his pillow for a nap.

Aunt Ginny looked around the room as she walked in. "I always thought if I ever had an occasion to be in here, it would have something to do with Albus, not you. Which bed is his?" Before Scorpius could answer, she cut him off. "No, let me guess. If that's your bed…" she walked over and sat on Albus's bed, the one closest to Scorpius's.

Scorpius nodded. He had no idea what to say to her. Was she here for Albus?

"I came to write about the top Hogwarts Quidditch players of the year. You were on the list, obviously, but you're not at practice and your captain says you're not playing in the upcoming match."

Scorpius nodded again and looked down at his hands.

"Why not? I know you've thought about playing professionally. Getting scouted out of Hogwarts is the quickest way to get there. But you need to play for that to happen, as I'm sure you've worked out."

"I can't play," Scorpius said simply and really hoped she wouldn't ask why.

"Are you injured? I'm sure Madame Pomfrey-''

"It's nothing like that."

"Tell me, Scorpius," she said, in that mum voice that was really hard to say no to.

He took a deep breath and looked at the window when he spoke. "When Albus first came out as gay, I knew a lot of the Slytherins would tease him. He's well-known, because of Uncle Harry, and this house is the worst when it comes to...progressive thinking."

He looked back at Aunt Ginny and saw that she was nodding but looked confused.

"I told the Quidditch team that if anyone in Slytherin ever said anything bad about Albus, I wouldn't play. And, well, it worked, for years. Then, after I killed the Aethonan, Miriam tested it and pulled a stupid prank on him at the beginning of our fifth year. That's why Albus needed new robes. I'm not sure if he told you."

She shook her head and her eyes were sad.

"I didn't play in the first game that season," Scorpius continued. "It was against Gryffindor and James and Lily destroyed them."

Aunt Ginny smiled. "I remember getting a letter with a play by play of how they'd beaten Slytherin by over 300 points. James had mentioned you hadn't played in that game, but not why."

Scorpius nodded. "After they realized I wasn't bluffing, I agreed to play for the rest of the season and the taunts stopped again. Then earlier this week, I saw them planning another prank. And - well - that's why I'm not playing."

Aunt Ginny bit her lip and looked angry. "What's the prank?"

"Just some posters, a little obscene. I took Albus's cloak last night and went into their rooms and destroyed all the copies I could find, but they'll probably make more. I - I'm trying my best to protect him, but honestly, he doesn't need it. Albus doesn't care what idiots think of him. He's so strong."

Aunt Ginny's eyes were lined with tears and she got up from Albus's bed and went to look out the window, into the depths of the lake. She took a deep breath, then turned back to Scorpius. "Albus is strong, and I know he doesn't care about others' opinion of him. But you do, don't you, Scorpius?"

Her eyes were studying him intently and he looked down at his lap to avoid her gaze. "I'm trying not to, Aunt Ginny."

She nodded and went to sit next to Scorpius on his bed. "I'm going to talk to your head of house. I know you all think the professors know nothing about what really goes on and can't do much, but you'd be surprised."

Scorpius shrugged. He didn't think it would help, but he also didn't think it would hurt anything. They were quiet for a while, then Aunt Ginny said, unexpectedly. "I think you should attend practice this week."

"What?" Scorpius looked at her incredulously. Hadn't she heard everything he'd just said?

"It looks bad to the scouts if you skip your game. It makes you seem flaky. Tell your captain you've changed your mind and go back to practice. Then, the day of the game, take one of those sweets from my brother's joke shop that makes you appear ill. I'm sure you're familiar with them?"

Scorpius nodded. Everyone at Hogwarts was familiar with them. Albus's Uncle George was constantly changing the illness the sweets impersonated so the professors and Madame Pomfrey wouldn't catch on. The current illness was excessive swelling that caused the user's eyes to swell shut and their hands and feet to grow as large as balloons. That would be an impossible condition to try to fly with.

"Everyone in the school will know what's going on," Aunt Ginny continued, "but the scouts won't. They'll just think you're sick. This will hurt your team worse, too, since they won't have had time to train a backup Chaser. They'll likely have to play a man down."

"That's brilliant, and a little diabolical," Scorpius said, impressively.

"Do they deserve it?" she asked seriously.

"Absolutely," Scorpius said quickly, remembering that awful photo of Albus.

Aunt Ginny stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll see you out there at practice and be sure to give you a lot of attention in my article."

"If I do this, there will be nothing to stop them from being cruel to Albus."

"It sounds like they're going to do the prank no matter what. At least this way, they'll be punished severely for it. Albus will be fine, Scorpius. I've already taught him the most painful hexes I know," she added with a smile.

Scorpius nodded and looked down at his lap. When he didn't hear the door close, he looked up and saw Aunt Ginny watching him from the doorway. "Why did you tell him to leave you alone when you so clearly miss him?" she asked, in a soft voice.

"He told you?"

"He told Harry," she explained.

Scorpius bent his head and silent tears began to fall down his face. "I was a bad friend to him, Aunt Ginny, but I'm trying to be better. He's the best person I've ever known, and he deserves to have only the best people around him. I'm not sure I'm good enough."

Aunt Ginny crossed the room and crouched down so she was at his level. "You're better than you think," she said, insistently. Then, after a few moments of silence, she asked, "Do you know why Harry was so angry with your father, after that night you used Dark Magic?"

Scorpius shook his head. Was he about to finally find out? This was an unsolved mystery he'd always meant to ask his father about, but kept putting off, not wanting to remind him about that night unnecessarily.

Aunt Ginny nodded with a look that said, _I thought so._ "Your father has a memory from that night. It's a conversation he had with Albus. Ask him if you can see it, the next time you're home."

Scorpius looked at her questioningly. "Does it explain why Uncle Harry punched him?"

She smiled and nodded. "It also explains why he ultimately forgave him. And I think it will clear some other things up for you."

Scorpius had no idea what could be in the memory and wondered if his father would let him see it. Before he could ask any more questions, Aunt Ginny gave his shoulder one final, comforting squeezing before leaving the room.

* * *

When Scorpius returned to his room the Saturday before school started back up, he was surprised to find Albus sitting on his bed, reading with his earmuffs. Scorpius hadn't expected him back until the next day, when the rest of the students would return on the Hogwarts Express.

When Albus saw Scorpius, he removed his earmuffs and put his book to the side. "Did you lock my things?"

"Oh, right, sorry," Scorpius said. "I didn't expect you back until tomorrow."

"It took me a full hour to remove all the charms."

"Yeah," Scorpius looked down at the floor. "I - uh - found the Slytherins planning a prank against you over the break. So I locked your stuff."

"Oh." Scorpius could hear the disappointment in Albus's voice and his stomach dropped. He didn't know the half of it.

Scorpius walked over to his bed and sat down, facing Albus. "Um, you know I told them I wouldn't play if they ever teased you-"

"It's okay, Scor," Albus cut in, "you can play. I know this is an important match."

Scorpius smiled to himself. Not at Albus's reassurances that he could play, but at his use of Scorpius's nickname. Scorpius hadn't realized how much he'd missed it, until now. "I'm not going to play, but I'm going to pretend I am and back out on the day, so they won't have a chance to train with a backup."

Albus shook his head. "You don't have to do that."

"I want to. I just wanted to warn you. They're going to be really angry and there won't be anything to keep them from pulling pranks for the rest of the year. Unfortunately, I think they'll target you, since they know it hurts me more."

Albus gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for the warning. I'll be fine." He picked his book back up and looked over at Scorpius expectantly, as if waiting for him to leave, but Scorpius wasn't finished with this conversation.

He walked over to Albus's bed and stopped when he reached the side. Albus put his book back down, then pulled his legs against his chest and linked his arms around them. "Can we be friends again?" Scorpius whispered.

Albus didn't reply. Instead, he leaned his forehead against his knees.

Scorpius climbed onto the bed and sat across from him. "You said in your letter when I was ready, I could come find you."

Albus took a deep breath and kept his head down and Scorpius could see him tighten his grip on his legs. "I didn't know when I wrote that how long you'd push me away," he said into his knees. "I didn't know how truly repulsed you were by me."

Albus paused to sigh and Scorpius could tell he was struggling to keep his voice even. "You've completely ignored me for a solid four months, preferring to be alone than to have to spend a second with me. When I wrote that letter, I didn't -" Albus took another deep breath, then finally looked up at Scorpius. His green eyes were swimming with pain. "I never imagined you'd hurt me this much, Scor."

Scorpius's heart clenched and he felt his eyes well with tears. He'd promised himself he'd never let anyone hurt Albus, but then gone and hurt him more than any stupid prank ever would. Scorpius had stayed away because he'd convinced himself he needed to have everything worked out before returning. He'd been waiting until he figured out how to be the perfect friend and knew exactly what his confusing feelings meant, before going back to Albus.

But the whole time Albus had thought Scorpius couldn't stand him. He thought that it wasn't until recently that Scorpius had gotten over some revulsion - which couldn't be further from the truth. He obviously didn't know Scorpius had been stalking him for the past few months, unable to truly stay away from Albus.

"No, Albus. It wasn't like that," Scorpius said, insistently. "It had nothing to do with you. I was just insecure and-" he cut off, trying to figure out how to put the turmoil he'd been feeling into words.

"You said you broke things between us," Scorpius continued. "You didn't. _I_ was the one who broke it. You didn't do anything wrong. And now, I desperately want to fix it."

Scorpius grabbed Albus's legs, snaking his hands behind Albus's calves. His heart broke when Albus flinched, then broke further when he remembered how he'd reacted this same way when Albus had touched him for a solid term. He was the worst. He loosened his grip but didn't move his hands.

"Remember that night when I did the Dark Magic? You told me there was no point where you'd stop caring about me."

Albus was looking at Scorpius's hands, then he lifted his head and met Scorpius's eyes and nodded sadly. "I said you seem determined to find it anyway but could stop looking. You didn't stop though, did you? You couldn't help yourself but keep pushing."

"Did I find your limit?" Scorpius asked in a whisper, terrified to hear Albus's response.

Albus looked at him for a long time, considering, then said, "No."

Scorpius let out a sigh of relief.

"I still care for you," Albus continued. "But caring for you, and being able to go on like friends, like nothing happened, are two different things."

Scorpius nodded. "I understand. And I don't find you repulsive in any way. I never have." _Quite the opposite, actually_ , he thought to himself. "I didn't stay away because I couldn't stand the thought of being with you. I did it because I couldn't be who you needed me to be. And I hate myself for it and - I'm so sorry," he said, with as much sincerity as he could muster.

Albus stayed quiet and Scorpius tightened his grip on his legs, then leaned forward and dropped his head against Albus's knees. "Please, Albus," he begged. "Please forgive me. I've always been a mess, but without you, it's tenfold."

Albus pushed his legs forward and Scorpius sat up and let go of him, then watched him shift to the side of the bed and straighten his legs in front of him. Scorpius crawled to his side and sat back on his knees but didn't touch Albus again. He wanted to throw arms around him and never let him go but could tell Albus wanted space.

"All my instincts are telling me to forgive you," Albus said softly, "but there's this small voice - your voice - telling me I'm pathetic and need to get a life away from you."

"I was a prat. I don't think that at all."

"Do you respect me, Scor?"

"What? Of course."

Albus shook his head. "I don't think so. I always forgive you. Even in the letter, I made it clear that as soon as you called, I'd come back. I don't like that about myself. If there was one thing I could change - it wouldn't be being gay, or odd, or unpopular, or bad at flying. It would be that."

Scorpius was silent, unsure what the right thing to say was.

"So I guess, I'm saying no," Albus continued. "I think, for the first time in my life, it's time to say no to you."

"So what now? This is it?" Scorpius was transported back to that night in the forest when he'd been clutching what he thought was Albus's dead body. The feeling now was the same as that night, but worse somehow. Because this time, Albus was here, perfectly fine, but choosing to stay away, and it was all Scorpius's fault.

"Don't look at me like that, Scor," Albus said sadly.

Scorpius snapped out of it. He straightened his spine and put a hand on Albus's arm. "This isn't it for us," he said, in answer to his own question. "Friendships like ours don't just end. Take the time you need, and when you're ready, you know where to find me."

He took a breath, then went to the door. "Scor," Albus called when his hand was on the doorknob.

Scorpius turned back to face him. "Yeah?"

"Drop History of Magic and Astronomy. You don't need either of those N.E.W.T.s for any of the prestigious careers you're interested in, and your workload is killing you."

Scorpius smiled to himself. Even now, Albus couldn't help but support him. "Thanks, Albus. I'll consider it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Someone asked what the title of the story meant. There are two meanings - the first is referring to the breaks from school, since this story is primarily told over the three major breaks (summer, Christmas, and Easter). The second meaning is referring to Scorpius and Albus's relationship, which sort of broke in this chapter. Don't worry, they'll fix it.
> 
> Thanks as always to my betas Lancashire Witch and Kimmeh B. There are drabbles related to this story on Tumblr if you want to come and see me at Alexandra-Emerson. The final chapter will be posted Sat, Feb-13.


	7. Seventh Year

**Chapter 7 - Seventh Year**

* * *

_Summer before Seventh Year_

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

Aunt Ginny's plan worked beautifully. Scorpius was able to skip out on his Quidditch match in a way that made it look to the teachers and scouts like he had some odd, unexplainable illness, but sent a very clear message to Miriam and the rest of the school. The look on Miriam's face when she realized what he'd done was priceless, and Scorpius thought he'd look back on it later as one of his fondest memories from Hogwarts.

It had been a little painful to watch his team lose, since he knew how hard they'd worked all year, but it was worth it, for Albus. Hufflepuff ended up winning the match and Ravenclaw won the entire cup after an impressive showing against Gryffindor, a few weeks later.

Miriam and the rest of the team continued with the prank they'd planned against Albus, but it flopped. They'd recreated the obscene posters of Albus that Scorpius had seen over the break and posted them all over the school's bathrooms. The posters called Albus _Peeping Potter_ and claimed he'd figured out a way to spy on the bathrooms all around the school and got off on watching people (especially blokes) change and use the loo.

There was a little bit of buzz about the prank at the beginning of the week following the Quidditch match, but it quickly died down. Scorpius heard Miriam complaining to Avery that not many students had seen the posters, since the castle seemed to be absorbing every one she put up. Scorpius wondered if Professor Knightly, or maybe even the Headmistress, was behind that. Maybe Aunt Ginny had been right, and they had more power to stop the prank than Scorpius had originally thought.

The few people who had seen the posters and had the nerve to bring it up to Albus, were quickly silenced. The first time someone called Albus "peeping Potter," he hit them with a powerful bat bogey hex, right in the middle of the hall. His tormentor, a mean-looking fourth year Slytherin, was slammed against the wall while disgusting bogeys flew out of his nose as he cried out in pain.

The nearby students burst into laughter and Professor Knightly walked into the hall to investigate the commotion. Everyone went silent and braced themselves as she approached Albus and the boy with bogeys still flying out of his nose. Scorpius had stepped forward, about to speak up for Albus, when she silenced him with a wave.

"Did you do this spell, Albus?" she asked, sternly.

He had nodded, defiantly.

"Well done. Ten points to Slytherin."

Then she left and word spread quickly after that that anyone who taunted Albus would be hit with a painful hex and that the teachers and the castle seemed to be on his side. The whole prank was over by the end of the week. Scorpius had been glad for Albus, but had been a little disappointed he didn't get a chance to hex anyone.

For the rest of the term, Scorpius waited patiently for Albus to seek him out and finally forgive him, but that never happened. By the time exams were done, Scorpius was getting antsy and almost cornered Albus again, but stayed away, trying to prove to Albus that he respected him and his wishes and was capable of waiting patiently (even though he really wasn't). Patience was something Albus had in abundance, not Scorpius.

The first day of summer break, Scorpius went to his father and asked him to show Scorpius the memory Aunt Ginny had told him about.

"Albus never told you?" his father asked, surprised.

Scorpius shook his head.

"And Ginny was the one who told you to come to me?"

Scorpius nodded, waiting patiently as he silently urged his father to agree to this request. After regarding him for several moments, his father nodded and explained that they'd need to go to Malfoy Manor, to use the pensieve in Scorpius's grandfather's study.

Several moments later, they were both inside his father's memory, watching a conversation between his father and Albus. Albus was sitting up on Scorpius's bed while the memory version of his father stood in the doorway. Scorpius walked over and stood between them and his present-day father stood on the edge of the room, out of the way.

It was the oddest sensation. Scorpius felt like he was actually in the room, but when he reached to touch Albus, his hand went right through him.

"I think Scorpius should stay in here tonight, with me. He shouldn't be alone," Albus said.

"He won't be alone," his father replied, shaking his head. "We'll be just across the hall."

"But-"

"No, Albus. You need to rest. We shouldn't have woken you up. Honestly, what I really should do is take you home, but I know your father will question you all over again and there's nothing to be done about all this, now. I'll take you home in the morning, after you've had a chance to sleep."

"But Scorpius needs me," Albus argued. Scorpius's heart jumped at the look of determination in his friend's eyes. Even then, after all Scorpius put him through that night, he was looking out for Scorpius over himself.

"He'll be fine."

"No offense, but I know him better than you." Scorpius smirked and looked over at his father, who was also smirking to himself. "He's broken and beating himself up and he needs to get this all out. He needs someone who will listen to him, and reassure him, and I know he'll talk to me and-"

"No, Albus. You cannot do that," his father said, sharply. He walked back into the room and closed the door, stopping just inches away from where Scorpius was standing. "You cannot discuss this night with Scorpius. Not tonight, and not later. Do you understand?"

Albus shook his head. "I don't. So, unless you explain it to me, I'm going to try everything I can to help my friend feel better."

Scorpius smiled to himself. If Albus wasn't just a transparent memory, he'd hug him right now, even with his father watching.

His father in the memory sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, I'll tell you. But then I'm going to lock you in here and you're going to sleep, okay?"

"Okay."

His father sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "The toll I told Scorpius about, from the Dark Magic. There's a way to erase it."

"What? Let's do it!" Albus said, insistently.

His father shook his head. "It's...complicated." He paused to sigh, then looked away from Albus. It was clear he didn't want to be telling Albus any of this. He sighed again before explaining. "It's called absolution by agape. Agape is one of the Greek words for love. It refers to the highest form of love which is selfless and unconditional. The theory is that if the person carrying the toll from the Dark Magic bares their soul to another, and there is agape between them, the toll will be erased."

Albus nodded seriously, then said simply, "I want to try it."

"No."

"I love Scorpius like that: selflessly, completely, and I know I can get him to open up to me."

"You're not going to do it," his father said again. "Hermione and I can try."

"He won't bare his soul to you," Albus argued. "You saw him today. He's too worried about what you two think of him to truly be open and honest with you. But he'll tell me and-"

"I said no, Albus. There's too much of a risk."

"What's the risk?" Albus asked.

His father sighed, then looked away from Albus again. Scorpius looked over at the present version of his father, but he was looking at the floor, avoiding Scorpius's gaze.

"For the absolution to work completely. _Both_ people need to feel that level of love for each other."

Albus's face fell and he looked down at his lap. "Oh, I understand," he said, sounding disappointed and a little hurt. Scorpius's heart broke. Albus knew he loved Scorpius but didn't think Scorpius loved him back.

Albus took a deep breath, then looked back up at his father. "You said it was risky. What happens if I try and it doesn't work?"

His father looked back at him sadly. "You'll be shouldered with half the burden and will carry it with you for the rest of your life."

Albus considered this, then set his jaw and Scorpius could tell he'd decided to try it. It was obvious he didn't expect it to work, since he didn't think Scorpius loved him unconditionally, but was still willing to take on half of Scorpius's burden.

The memory version of his father saw this in Albus's expression, too. "I can tell what you're thinking, and I'm not going to let it happen. I'm locking you in here for the rest of the night. Then tomorrow, I'm going to tell Scorpius about all this so he doesn't let you try it."

"But, Uncle Draco-"

"No, Albus," his father said sternly. "I know you want to help him, but he doesn't need you this time. He needs to learn to live with his mistakes. He'll be fine."

His father left the room and before Scorpius could turn to the present version of his father, the memory changed. He was in Rose's bedroom now and Albus and he were asleep on the bed. His father was in the doorway, looking livid.

The memory version of his father went to the bed and shook Albus awake. "Albus. Get up, now." Albus's eyes widened in shock and he looked over and saw Scorpius clutching his arm and his expression softened.

"What the hell did you do?" his father hissed, angrily. "You tried it, didn't you? Did you not listen to a thing I said last night?"

"I had to try it, Uncle Draco. It's Scorpius," Albus said softly. Tears stung Scorpius's eyes.

His father pinched the bridge of his nose. "That was reckless, Albus. And I was stupid not to check the windows. Shite, your father's going to kill me." He turned back to Albus and said sternly, "Let's go, Albus. Now."

Albus climbed out of the bed and followed his father downstairs. Scorpius and his present-day father followed behind them and stopped in the drawing room to watch the next interchange.

His father turned to Albus and ran a few diagnostic spells. "Thank Merlin," he muttered. "It didn't work."

Albus shook his head, sadly. "I tried to get him to open up, but maybe he didn't bare his soul enough or something…" his voice trailed off and Scorpius's father placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"He'll be okay, Albus. Please, don't try it again."

Albus looked down at the floor and nodded. They were both quiet for a while, then his father dropped his hand from Albus's shoulder and said, "It was hard for me to be friends with your father, at first. I'm sure you know our roles in the war, by now."

Albus nodded.

His father's lips turned up. "But thank Merlin I powered through, because if I hadn't become friends with him, I wouldn't know you. And I am so glad to have you in my life, Albus," he said earnestly. "Not just for Scorpius's sake, but for my own. You are a remarkable wizard, and in my opinion, out of all your father's accomplishments - which are numerous and impressive - raising you is his best."

Scorpius silently agreed.

Albus gave him a small smile, then turned away from him, embarrassed. "Thank you, Uncle Draco. But, well, most people say the opposite about me. They call me Harry Potter's biggest disappointment."

His father pulled Albus into a hug. "Well, Albus. Most people are idiots."

After that, they disappeared into the fireplace and Scorpius and his father reappeared in his grandfather's study.

* * *

Scorpius dropped into one of the chairs in front of his grandfather's desk, his mind reeling from what he'd just seen. "I can't believe Albus did that for me," he said, bewildered.

His father nodded and took the seat next to Scorpius.

"And he thought it wouldn't work," Scorpius continued, looking at a silver gadget on his grandfather's desk. "Neither of you thought it would work." Which meant Albus had done it to relieve Scorpius of his burden and been willing to carry half of it himself for the rest of his life.

"That was nothing against you," his father said quickly. "It's very rare for someone your age to be capable of that type of love."

Scorpius looked over at his father. "You didn't doubt Albus. The fact that you were worried he would end up with half my burden meant you thought he was capable of that agape love thing, and I wasn't."

His father looked at him apologetically. "Albus is...special."

Scorpius nodded and looked down at his lap. He didn't blame his father. If it had been him, he'd have thought the same thing. "But it did work," Scorpius said slowly, remembering the diagnostic spell his mum had run on him the next morning, and how surprised she'd been by the results. The pain in his chest that had started to form the night he'd killed the Aethonan had never come back, and he'd just assumed the animal wasn't magical enough or something.

"Did you ever tell him?" he asked his father.

His father shook his head. "I assumed you two would have talked about it."

"We didn't," Scorpius said simply. "So that means I love him? With the highest form of love?" he asked, confused. Was this why Aunt Ginny had wanted him to see this memory? He'd been telling her he wasn't a good enough friend, but she said he was better than he thought. Was this how she'd known?

His father was studying him, carefully. "Agape is not necessarily romantic, though it can be. It just needs to be completely selfless and unconditional."

Scorpius nodded. He was sad that Albus didn't know that his plan to help Scorpius had worked, and he didn't know Scorpius loved him back. Scorpius remembered telling him that night, but Albus had already fallen asleep.

"Why did Uncle Harry punch you?"

His father smiled. "When he heard about all the events from that night, including what Albus had tried to do for you, he was convinced I'd told Albus about the absolution magic to encourage him to try it. He thought I was putting your well-being above Albus's. But I would never do that. A few weeks later, your mum finally convinced Harry to watch these same memories we saw today, then he finally believed I was sincerely trying to warn Albus against it and that Albus had acted alone that night."

Scorpius nodded, then asked, "How did you know about this magic? Did you…" Scorpius's voice trailed off.

"I've never needed it," his father said, shaking his head. "I never killed. But," he bit his lip and looked over at the chair behind the desk. "I know people who have used it." Scorpius followed his gaze and wondered if he was thinking about Scorpius's grandfather. Scorpius decided then that he didn't want to know.

"Can I ask you something?" his father asked, turning back toward Scorpius. Scorpius nodded, but looked down, embarrassed. Was his father going to ask him about his feelings toward Albus? If he did, what would Scorpius say?

"You said Ginny told you to ask me for these memories. Did she say why?"

Scorpius sighed, relieved he hadn't asked about Albus. "We were talking about Albus, over Easter Break, and I told her I hadn't been very good to him lately, and that maybe I wasn't good enough to be his friend. She said I was a better friend than I thought, then mentioned the memory."

They were quiet for a long time after that, then Scorpius turned to his father and waited for him to look up at him before speaking. "I have one more question."

"Go ahead," his father said, nodding for him to continue.

"Everyone says when you were my age you were a selfish prat. But you're not that way anymore." Scorpius stopped, embarrassed and a little concerned his father would think this line of questioning too impertinent.

"Where's the question?" his father asked.

Scorpius looked down at his lap before asking, "How did you stop?"

His father was silent and when Scorpius looked back up at him, he was smiling. "Do you think you're a selfish prat and are trying to stop?"

Scorpius nodded. "I try so hard not to be. I try to keep rude thoughts to myself, and consider other people's side of things, and remember that the whole world isn't about me. But then, I'll get stressed or upset, and something will slip. Something awful, and I'm back to being a prat again." He was ashamed admitting this to his father, since he didn't think his father knew this about him. But hopefully, he understood and had a cure of some sort.

His father didn't look disappointed, but was smiling instead. He reached over and patted Scorpius's leg. "You got a lot of your mum's and my good qualities, but also some of our worst. That perfectionism, from your mum, and the tendency to suppress your emotions, from me... no wonder you snap sometimes."

Scorpius cocked his head, curiously. What did he mean?

"Scorpius," he continued, "you can be a good person 90% of the time and prat 10% of the time, but that still makes you a good person. It's not all or nothing. We all have bad days. If you try to push yourself to be perfect, you're never going to get there. You're bright. I'm sure you can see the logic in that."

Albus's voice came into Scorpius's mind then. " _You don't have to be perfect, Scor. You can be flawed. You can be scared, and mean, and desperate to fit it. You can be naïve, and you can make mistakes. You can be wrong, and you can lose, and you can be disappointing, and the whole time, you'll still be loved. Not just by your parents, who have to love you, but by me - someone who doesn't have to - but does, anyway."_

Scorpius nodded and looked down at his lap, blinking back tears. Though, he thought, Albus was a good person 100% of the time and a prat 0% (so it was possible to be perfect). Maybe it just wasn't possible for himself.

"But to answer your question," his father said, thoughtfully, "when I was your age, I was a prat 90% of the time and rarely a good person. The good part was in there, it was just buried deep down. It slowly changed when I met your mum. I wanted to be better; someone that could deserve her. Even now though, I'm not perfect. I still snap, mostly at her, since she's the one I'm closest to. It's not really fair for her, but I think that's normal in relationships and she forgives me."

His father shrugged and looked back at Scorpius. "I'm not sure if that answered your question. I was rambling a bit at the end."

Scorpius gave his father a small smile. "I think I get it. Try your best to keep the prat percentage down. Then when you snap, apologize and try to move past it."

His father nodded. "Well put."

"Father?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm of age now. So, does that mean I'm old enough to hear the story of how you and Mum got together?"

His father considered this, biting the inside of his cheek, then shook his head. "Actually, your mum and I were just talking about that. We think the story is best appreciated after you've been in love."

Scorpius's face fell. "That's not fair. You keep changing the rules," Scorpius whined and his father shrugged. "At the rate I'm going, Rose is going to hear that story before me," Scorpius added in an undertone.

"I think you're closer than you think," his father said, cryptically. Scorpius's head snapped toward him and he saw his father's eyes shining with amusement.

What was he talking about? Was he referring to Albus? Maybe, Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny had told his parents what had happened between them. But if that was the case, he assumed his father would be disappointed in him, but he didn't appear to be.

Before Scorpius could ask any follow up questions, his father stood up and went to the door. "Come on, Scor. Let's go fly."

* * *

** Albus Potter **

Albus was with Nira, in her bedroom, listening politely as she talked about the N.E.W.T.s she wanted to take next year. This was almost an exact repeat of the last summer with Scorpius who had been similarly torn, when it came to which classes he should take. Why were Albus's two closest friends giant swots? Though, to be fair, he found Potions competitions fun, so maybe he was a swot, too.

Nira was getting a head start on this decision. It was just a few days into the break, and she hadn't even received her O.W.L. scores yet.

"Whatever you do, don't be stupid like Scorpius and choose to take nine N.E.W.T.s," Albus said, bored.

"That wasn't a choice," Nira replied. "That was just classic Scorpius, refusing to make a decision. He's obsessed with getting everything perfect, then works himself up to the point where he can't decide on anything. You're the opposite. You make decisions quickly and have no problem committing to them. That's why you two make a good team."

Albus looked at her, sardonically. "Scorpius and I haven't been a team in ages."

"Yes. But this time it's _you_ who's holding back," she pointed out.

Albus sighed. "I know." He wanted to talk to Scorpius and finally start moving past this conflict, but had no idea how long was long enough to wait for Scorpius to see that he wasn't pathetic and was worthy of his respect. Albus knew he wouldn't be able to go on much longer, though, especially since school was out and there wasn't very much to distract him. Scorpius said he was a mess without Albus. Well, it was the same for Albus.

"I heard my parents talking the other day," Nira said, in an excited whisper. Albus looked to the door, which was closed, and wondered why she was acting like she didn't want to be overheard. "Do you know what the adults think is wrong with Scorpius?" she asked.

"What?"

"They think he's struggling with the fact that he's gay."

"What?!" Albus shot up to a sitting position. "Why?"

Albus's heart leapt. Could Scorpius really be gay? No, he told himself, that wouldn't be a good thing. At least now, Albus could delude himself into thinking that the only reason Scorpius didn't like him was because he wasn't attracted to blokes. If that wasn't the case, and Scorpius still didn't like him...that would hurt a lot.

"Apparently, he asked to speak with Theo and Bennett at Christmas. They didn't tell anyone what he said, but his parents think it's a sign that he's struggling with his sexuality," Nira said matter-of-factly.

Albus rolled his eyes. "He was probably just asking about me or something. I really don't think Scorpius is gay."

"I don't know…" Nira said in a sing-songy tone. "It would explain a lot."

"He's not, believe me," Albus said, insistently. The more he thought about it, the more sure he was of this fact. Nira was still looking at him oddly. "You think he's gay?" Albus asked her.

She shrugged. "I have a theory."

"What's your theory?" Albus tried to act uninterested, but Nira's theories ended up being right a lot of the time.

"I think I'm going to keep it to myself. I don't want to influence things again."

Albus snorted at that. "Does your theory involve a guess about what will happen between him and me, and when we'll be able to mend our friendship?"

"It does," she nodded.

"Just tell me that bit then."

"No." Nira crossed the room and sat at her desk, then pulled out a blank parchment and a quill. "I'm going to write it down. Later, I'll send this to you and we can see if I was right."

"Whatever," Albus replied, laying back on the bed. As she started to write, he thought to himself that he hoped whatever this theory was, involved Scorpius and him being friends again, and soon. That's all Albus wanted.

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

Scorpius was pacing the forest outside the Burrow, blasting a line of dark green bushes with small, pink flowers on them, in an effort to combat his mounting frustration. He'd decided to go find Albus this morning, but when he'd gone to Grimmauld Place, Aunt Ginny said he was out foraging for Potions ingredients, but she didn't know exactly where.

Scorpius had tried the forest near Nira's yard first, then the spot they'd gone camping last summer; remembering that Albus had raved over the countless rare plants in that forest. After that, he'd searched the length of the forest's edge next to the Burrow and there was still no Albus. Where could he be? Hogwarts? That seemed a really far way to go for Potions ingredients. Scorpius wished he had a map of the entire country he could use to track Albus.

As the moments passed, his resolve was wavering and he was worried if he waited too long, he'd lose his nerve and never manage to tell Albus what he needed to say.

 _No,_ Scorpius scolded himself. _Don't talk yourself out of this. Albus deserves to know._

Ever since he'd seen his father's memories and discovered that he was capable of the same pure, selfless love Albus was, Scorpius had finally decided it was time to tell Albus how he felt. He'd put it off for too long, waiting for the perfect time, but he knew it was going to be messy, and scary, and awkward, no matter when he did it. So, he should just go ahead and get it over with.

Just then, a familiar voice cut into his thoughts. "Those plants are actually pretty rare. It takes five years after you plant one to get those pink flowers to bloom, and they work great in healing potions to relieve pain."

Scorpius jumped and saw Albus leaning against a tree, watching him with an amused expression.

Scorpius nodded and stopped blasting the bushes. Albus cocked his head questioningly, but Scorpius stayed quiet. Now that Albus was here, he couldn't make himself speak to him. Scorpius was absolutely useless.

"What are you doing here?" Albus asked.

"I came looking for you."

Albus frowned. "I told you to leave me alone. You are the worst listener in the entire world." Even though the words were harsh, his tone was light, and Scorpius nodded and took a few steps closer to him.

"I know. I'm awful. But I need to tell you something. Then I'll leave again if you want me to." _I really hope you don't want that though,_ Scorpius added in his mind.

Albus shrugged and pulled his bag off and put it on the ground, then leaned back against the tree again and crossed his arms, looking at Scorpius expectantly.

"Right," Scorpius said, taking another deep breath and approaching Albus. He stopped when he was a few feet away, just out of reach. "My father showed me his memories from the night I killed that Aethonan. It was the conversation he had with you, about why you couldn't talk to me about that night again…" Scorpius's voice trailed off and Albus nodded, then looked down, embarrassed.

"Thank you, Albus," Scorpius said with as much sincerity as possible. "I know when you did it, you didn't think it would work, and was expecting to take on half of the toll from the Dark Magic. That was completely unnecessary, and I would have never let you try it, if I'd known."

Albus shrugged. "No matter. It didn't work. I guess I didn't love you as much as I thought," he added bitterly.

"It did work," Scorpius said, quickly.

"No, it didn't," Albus said insistently, touching the spot on his chest where his heart was. "I didn't feel anything."

Scorpius nodded slowly. "The pain went away completely."

He waited for his words to sink in. Albus's green eyes widened in shock. "But that would mean…"

Scorpius nodded and smiled slightly. "I know you didn't think I was capable of it, and neither did my father, but it turns out I loved you back, just as deeply as you loved me. I told you as much that night, but you'd already fallen asleep."

Albus bit his lip and nodded.

"And I still love you like that, Albus."

Albus nodded again and focused on something behind Scorpius. "I'm glad, Scorpius. You shouldn't have had to carry that burden just because you were stupid enough to trust Miriam. Thank you for telling me." He stood up off the tree and was about to pick up his bag when Scorpius grabbed his arm.

"Wait."

Albus looked down at Scorpius's hand on his arm, then back up at Scorpius, his eyes questioning. Scorpius was trying to hide the disappointment on his face. This had been a big confession for him, but Albus had just breezed past it and was already ready to leave. It was because he thought Scorpius was saying he loved him like a friend. Scorpius had hoped Albus would just get it, but knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"I have one more thing to say," Scorpius announced.

Albus pulled his arm out of his grasp, then nodded for Scorpius to continue.

Scorpius started pacing the area in front of the tree, raking his hands through his hair. This was it. It was finally time to tell Albus how he felt about him. "Sorry," he muttered as he walked. "It's weird being nervous around you."

"It's weird seeing you nervous. Just say what you need to say. It's me," he added kindly.

Scorpius stopped pacing and gave Albus a small smile. "Yes...you."

Albus cocked his head in confusion and Scorpius took a deep breath, then started talking in a rush. "You said you told me you liked me because of Nira's bad advice."

Albus nodded.

"Well, when I was so awful to you last Christmas, I was following bad advice, too. The day before you came, I was thinking that maybe - possibly - I might have liked you back, in that same way you liked me, so I talked to Theo."

Albus kept his face blank and Scorpius sighed, then kept talking. It would be better to just get it all out.

"I talked to Theo and Bennett because I wanted to know if it was possible for me to like you, without being attracted to any other blokes. I told them how the thought of you with anyone else made me insanely jealous, and how I suddenly couldn't stop noticing every time you touched me, and how-" Scorpius cut off. He was suddenly very embarrassed and Albus still wasn't saying anything.

He took another deep breath. "Anyway. Theo told me I wasn't gay, or bisexual, and didn't like you and was just trying to convince myself I did, to keep you for myself, since you're my best friend and all. He told me I was a selfish prat and that I should leave you alone. So, I pulled back and tried to ignore what I was feeling, even though a part of me knew Theo was wrong. I should have leaned into it, instead of pushing you away."

Scorpius stopped talking. He was out of words and was trying to figure out what to explain next when Albus finally spoke up. "What are you saying?"

Scorpius bit his lip and looked up at the leaves of the tree above them. "I like you." When he looked back at Albus, Albus was looking at him incredulously.

"You're not gay, Scor. You just said you don't like blokes. So what are you talking about?"

Scorpius nodded, then took a tentative step closer to Albus. "No," he said simply, "I'm not gay."

He raised a hand to Albus's forehead and brushed his hair away from his eyes. "But that doesn't keep me from wanting to do this every time your hair falls into your face - which is about a hundred times a day because your hair is very messy and too long," he added in an undertone.

Albus was completely still and Scorpius couldn't read anything on his face. Had he suddenly gotten really good at Occlumency?

"I'm not gay," Scorpius continued, moving his hand to Albus's shoulder and gently stroking his neck with his fingers, "but I can't stop thinking about you. I follow your dot on the map obsessively and even have these little conversations with you in my head."

Scorpius sighed again and really wished Albus would say something, but took it as a good sign that he wasn't pushing him away. He moved the hand that was touching Albus slowly down his arm. "I can't sleep without hearing you breathing, so I had to start opening the curtain of my bed at night."

"Now who's the obsessive one?" Albus muttered under his breath.

Scorpius's hand had reached Albus's and he linked his fingers with his, then looked back up into Albus's eyes, which were uncharacteristically blank. Scorpius decided that he was definitely using Occlumency.

"Believe me, I saw the irony too," Scorpius said, then he took a final deep breath before saying, "I'm in love with you, Albus. And I also want to kiss you."

Albus considered him for a long time, then he squeezed Scorpius's hand before dropping it. He sighed and shook his head. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm going to have to decline."

"Why?" Scorpius took a step back.

"Scor, you're insane. What are you talking about? You think you're gay for just me?"

Scorpius nodded.

Albus's lips turned up slightly. "That's not a thing, Scor. Shite. I am so sorry I stayed away from you for so long. You are an absolute mess without me. Convincing yourself you're sort of gay, just to get me back?"

Albus laughed now. "I didn't mean to fuck with your head like that. You don't need to like me back. And you don't need to kiss me just to prove something. We can be friends again without all that. Just stop being a prat, okay?"

Albus held his hand out for Scorpius to shake. Scorpius looked at it for a few moments, then ignored it and slammed Albus against the tree behind him as he captured his mouth with his own, putting his hand behind Albus's head so it didn't collide with the tree trunk.

Scorpius kissed Albus a lot harder than he'd dare kiss a witch and Albus kissed him back just as aggressively, pulling Scorpius closer to him by his hips. Scorpius thought to himself it felt more like a fight than a kiss, but it was perfect, and he wondered why they'd waited so long to do this. After several moments, he slipped his tongue into Albus's mouth, wanting more, but Albus pushed him off with a burst of magic.

"Shite, Scorpius! What is wrong with you?" Albus looked down at the ground and started rubbing his temples as he took deep, steadying breaths.

"What?" Scorpius was momentarily disoriented. Why had the kissing stopped? It was perfect.

"I said no! But you always need to get your way, don't you? I'm sure you wanted to prove once and for all that you're the one in power here and-"

Albus cut off when he looked back at Scorpius. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Albus asked.

"Like what?"

Albus sighed. "Like I hurt your feelings."

"Because you did," Scorpius said with a sigh. "I poured my heart out and you completely dismissed me. Then rejected my kiss. So yeah, you hurt my feelings," he added angrily, before setting his jaw and crossing his arms across his chest.

"All that stuff you said was real?"

"I didn't just make it up. I've been practicing that for days."

"You practiced that? I'd hate to see what it was like originally," Albus muttered.

"Do you not see me hurting here?" Scorpius retorted, irritated now.

Albus gave him a small smile. "And the kiss, also real?"

"It was pretty good for something that was fake," Scorpius grumbled.

Albus shrugged. "I assumed kissing blokes was just another of the countless things you're perfect at, without having to try." Albus was looking at one of the bushes Scorpius had blasted earlier as he talked, then turned back to face Scorpius. When he did, his green eyes were swimming with fear and nervous anticipation, which mirrored exactly the emotions Scorpius was feeling.

Scorpius stepped closer to him, then cupped his face with his hand and started rubbing Albus's jaw with his thumb as he tried to pick out all the emotions flitting across his eyes. After several moments, Albus sighed and stepped out of Scorpius's grasp. "Tell me what you're thinking right now, Scor."

Scorpius shook his head and looked away, embarrassed. "It's disgustingly sappy."

"Well, now I have to hear it," Albus said with a smirk.

Scorpius looked back at Albus and gave him a shy smile. "I was remembering that time on the train in fifth year, when Nira was telling you how handsome you were. She said your eyes were startling and one day a bloke would get lost in them. I just came to the realization that I'm that bloke."

Albus laughed out loud and Scorpius's smile widened. It was good seeing Albus smiling and laughing again. It had been too long. "That's revolting, Scor."

"I know. I warned you."

Albus looked at him, then carefully placed both of his palms on Scorpius's chest, as if testing to see if he'd let him. He looked at his hands for a while, then up at Scorpius, fear swimming in his eyes again.

"You really like me?" he whispered. "Physically? Romantically?"

"All of it," Scorpius said earnestly. "I promise. I only pushed you away before because I was terrified of the feeling and what it might mean for us and completely convinced I wasn't good enough for you. Which I still think, by the way, but I'm willing to look past it since you seem okay with it."

Albus bit his lip. "What does this mean for us?"

Scorpius shook his head. He had no idea. He felt as scared as Albus looked. Albus bit his lip again, and Scorpius saw his eyes were determined now. He moved his hands to the hem of Scorpius's shirt and brushed his fingers along his sides under the shirt. "So you're okay with this?" Albus asked softly.

Scorpius nodded as a delicious chill went up his spine.

Albus moved his hands to Scorpius's abdomen, then started slowly walking his fingers up his chest, stopping to brush each of his nipples with his thumbs. Scorpius shivered and Albus's lips turned up, then he placed his palms flat against Scorpius's bare chest. Albus was studying Scorpius intently, obviously looking for signs of hesitation, but Scorpius knew he wouldn't find anything.

"If you're waiting for me to push you away," Scorpius said in a low voice, "you're going to be waiting for a long time."

Albus nodded and went back to the hem of his shirt and pulled it up. Scorpius lifted his arms so he could pull his shirt off. Albus stepped back and appraised Scorpius for a few seconds and when he looked back up, Scorpius saw a hungry, possessive look in Albus's green eyes he'd never seen there before, but could certainly get used to.

"Can I kiss you again?" Scorpius whispered.

He was about to add that this time, he'd wait for Albus to say yes, but before he could get any more words out, Albus grabbed his chin and pressed his lips against his. Scorpius snaked one hand behind Albus's back and held the other firmly on his side, pulling him close. Albus linked his hands behind Scorpius's neck and started running his fingers through his hair.

As they crashed into each other, Scorpius began moving his hands under Albus's shirt and felt him shiver in response. He smiled to himself and Albus kissed his smirk before pulling back. "This isn't a game for me, Scorpius," he said, a little out of breath.

"Me neither. Now take this off," Scorpius demanded, pulling at the hem of Albus's shirt. It wasn't fair that he was the only one with his shirt off.

Albus shook his head and muttered, "So bossy," as he pulled his shirt off in one motion and threw it to the side.

Scorpius pushed Albus until his back was against the tree behind him, then brushed his hand along his abdomen, smirking again when Albus shivered.

"Still not gay?" Albus asked teasingly, watching him carefully.

Scorpius shrugged before brushing Albus's hair out of his face again. "Not gay, with one notable exception."

Scorpius braced his hands on the tree behind Albus, then bent his head, stopping just shy of Albus's lips. "I have no idea why we weren't doing this the whole time."

Albus pushed him back and looked at him sardonically. "Because you're a giant prat. Now shut up."

Scorpius didn't have a chance to respond before Albus was kissing him again. Scorpius pressed his tongue into Albus's mouth and this time he didn't push him away but pulled him closer and deepened the kiss.

* * *

_First Term, Seventh Year_

* * *

** Albus Potter **

Albus was on his way to Charms when he was pulled behind a tapestry and slammed against the wall. Before he had a chance to identify his assailant, someone was shoving a tongue in his mouth and he knew instantly who was assaulting him. He could get used to attacks like this.

"I'm pretty sure snogging in the halls is against the rules," he said breathlessly between kisses. "Does this mean you have to dock points?"

"We're not in the hall," Scorpius said, pointedly. "We're in a nook." Albus pulled back to look at Scorpius and saw his brown eyes were alight with desire and his lips were swollen from kissing. It was a good look on him.

"How can you stand it?" Scorpius asked, obviously frustrated. "Especially after last night. I just want to skive off classes for the rest of the day and be with you."

Scorpius looked genuinely concerned and Albus couldn't help but laugh. "I've been resisting the urge to rip all your clothes off and snog you senseless for years," he said teasingly. "I guess it's your turn to figure out how to push those thoughts to the side, so you can get things done. You'll get used to it," he added with a comforting pat on Scorpius's shoulder.

He turned to leave but Scorpius caught his hand and pulled him back into his chest, wrapping his arms around him to keep him from going. "So you're saying this...obsession with you will pass?"

Albus nodded. "You're so cute." He combed his fingers through Scorpius's hair and kissed him on the cheek before pulling away. As he began to pull the tapestry aside, he turned back to find Scorpius looking at him, biting his lip with his brow furrowed. "Are you coming, Scorpius?"

Scorpius was silent.

"Or maybe that choice of words was too suggestive for you," Albus continued, teasingly. "Too reminiscent of last ni-"

Scorpius pushed him and he fell into the hall, laughing. A group of third years was walking by and looked at them, curiously, before turning back to their conversation.

"Let's go," Scorpius said angrily and Albus followed behind him, still laughing.

* * *

Later that night, Albus and Scorpius were in the common room of his Head Boy dormitory, snogging on the couch. "We can't do this all year," Scorpius said, pushing Albus off him. "We have N.E.W.T.s," he looked pointedly at their half-finished Transfiguration essays, which had been abandoned in favor of more enjoyable pursuits.

Albus shrugged. "I know. I assume you'll become less irresistible with time."

Scorpius smirked, then said sternly. "No snogging until we finish at least one assignment. This Transfiguration essay," he pointed back to their scrolls.

Albus nodded seriously. "Yes, of course. You're so responsible, Scor."

Ten minutes later, Albus had sidled as close to Scorpius as he could get without sitting on him, then "accidentally" dropped his quill in Scorpius's lap. A few seconds after that, they were snogging again.

"Dammit, Albus!"

Scorpius marched out of the room and was gone for twenty minutes. Albus was about to check the map when Scorpius came back in, dragging Nira behind him by the arm.

"You sit here," he demanded, pointing toward the middle seat of the couch. Albus moved over to make room for her and she looked at him, curiously.

Scorpius went back to his assignment, and Nira looked over at Scorpius and asked, "Why am I here?"

He ignored her and focused on his parchment, scratching his quill furiously against the page.

"Am I a buffer?" she asked, looking over at Albus.

Albus smirked at her. "I think 'cockblock' is the more technical term."

"Albus!" Scorpius hissed, while Nira exclaimed at the same time, "Oh yay! Did something finally happen between you two? Tell me everything."

"Actually," Albus started, excitedly. "It happened right where you're sitting-"

"Ew!" she cried, but was beaming widely while Scorpius started pinching the bridge of his nose as he muttered to himself.

"Don't worry," Albus nudged her playfully. "Scor is really good with cleaning charms."

"This is not happening," Scorpius was groaning and Albus smiled over at him. He was so cute when he blushed like this.

"Well?" Nira pressed and Scorpius finally snapped.

"He's not going to tell you anything, Nira. That's personal and none of your business. And frankly, it's weird that you want to know."

Albus nodded seriously, then muttered to Nira, "I'll tell you later."

Scorpius glared daggers at Albus but Albus just shrugged and winked back at him.

"You two are so cute," Nira exclaimed.

"I hate you both," Scorpius growled before turning back to the parchment in front of him.

"Except for you," Nira said in a low voice to Albus. "He loves you."

"I know," Albus whispered back. "I love him too." He looked over and saw Scorpius's lips turning up slightly as he wrote on his parchment.

Albus figured Scorpius would scold him for this later, but he didn't care. He was giddy after the night before. Albus had feared that once Scorpius and his relationship progressed past snogging and they moved on to below the belt activities, Scorpius would realize that he wasn't attracted to Albus in that way after all and their relationship would be over, ending as abruptly as it had started.

They'd be awkward around each other for a little while, then go back to being friends and would look back on that few months they'd spent snogging the summer before seventh year as a failed experiment that they never talked about.

But that hadn't happened at all. The whole thing had been scary and embarrassing, but at the same time, wonderful and absolutely perfect. After they'd crossed that line in their relationship, Scorpius didn't pull away, like Albus had expected, but committed further. He demanded Albus spend the night, then in the morning, told him he should move his trunk into his room and stay there for good.

Albus had pointed out that as soon as he stopped sleeping in his dorm, it would only be a matter of time before everyone in Slytherin found out where he was sleeping, then the whole school would know they were dating. Scorpius had shrugged and said he didn't care and Albus thought he actually meant it this time.

During Albus's first free period, he'd gone to his dorm to get his trunk and told Locke and Kemp what was going on, so they wouldn't worry about him. They'd been kind about it and told Albus they'd try to keep his secret as long as they could, and just like that, Scorpius and Albus had managed to get a private dorm, bathroom, and common room, all to themselves.

There were charms on the Head Boy's bedroom to keep witches from entering, to prevent this type of thing, but lucky for them, whoever had set those up hadn't planned on same sex couples.

Albus looked over at Scorpius and saw him watching him pointedly. "You're supposed to be doing your Transfiguration assignment," Scorpius scolded.

"Yes, Professor Malfoy," Albus said, rolling his eyes, "I'll get right on it."

* * *

_Christmas Break, Seventh Year_

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

Scorpius was pacing the hallway outside the sitting room, trying to work up the courage to walk in and tell his parents he was dating Albus. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He didn't think they'd have a problem with him dating a bloke, and it wasn't just any bloke, it was Albus. They loved him like a son. Sometimes, he suspected, even more than they loved him.

"You're making us nervous, Scor," his father called from the room. "Just come in here and tell us what's on your mind."

Scorpius took a deep breath and when he walked into the room, his parents were looking at him with amused expressions on their faces. His mum's eyes filled with concern when she saw him. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked.

"Please, don't tell us you killed another innocent creature," his father said with a moan.

Scorpius glowered at him. His parents and Albus joked about that night pretty frequently, but Scorpius still thought it was too soon for that.

"It's not like that," he sighed, then said in a rush, "I'm dating someone."

"Oh," his mum said, cheerfully. "That sounds like a good thing. Why do you seem so upset about it? Is it another racist?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. He just needed to say it. "It's not a racist. It's Albus."

His parent's eyes widened in shock, then they looked at each other and shared knowing smiles.

"That's wonderful, Scorpius," his mum said simply. Scorpius hadn't really been worried about her reaction. He took a breath before turning to face his father, who was looking at him with a blank expression.

His father shook his head and Scorpius's heart fell. "Why don't you wait another year? Just to be sure?" his father asked.

"Draco!" his mum hissed. "You can't influence things."

"I'm giving fatherly advice," he hissed back.

"What's going on?" Scorpius asked, confused. His parents looked guilty and Scorpius crossed his arms as he waited for them to respond.

"It's nothing," his mum waved her hand then stood and gave him a hug. "We're happy for you. Were you worried we wouldn't be?"

"What were you talking about before?" Scorpius asked, ignoring her question. He turned to his father. "Why did you want me to wait a year?" Did he think Scorpius wasn't serious about this? Because he was and he was ready to defend his feelings toward Albus.

His father cocked his eyebrow at his mum, then smiled at Scorpius. "We sort of had a bet about how long it would take you two to get together. I had after school, so if you two could put a hold on this and start it up again then, I'd really appreciate it."

Scorpius looked back at him incredulously, then turned to his mum, who looked ashamed. "You bet on us?!"

"It wasn't just us," she said, defensively. "Albus's parents were in on it too," she cried, as if that somehow made it better.

Scorpius began pacing the room, then stopped in front of his mum. "What was the bet?"

She shrugged. "Like your father said, just a guess on when you two would start dating. Harry had fifth year, Ginny had sixth-"

His father cut in, "I think that's why she encouraged you to watch that memory, by the way. She was probably hoping you'd figure it out before the term ended."

"I had seventh year," his mum continued. "And your father didn't think it would happen until after Hogwarts."

Scorpius was speechless.

"Which means I win," his mum said proudly, before she saw Scorpius's angry glare and dropped her smile.

"You are the worst parents ever!" Scorpius exclaimed.

"Well, that can't be true," his father replied. "I'm sure there are worse parents out there."

"I was struggling with my feelings for months, then agonizing over telling you, and the whole time you were betting on us! Do you not even care that I'm dating a wizard?"

"We knew you were having a hard time, Scorpius," his mum said gently. "But every time we tried to talk to you, you wouldn't say anything. We did try to help, but weren't sure what more we could do. Then, we figured you just needed to sort it out on your own. And of course we don't mind you dating a wizard. Did you think we would?" his mum sounded surprised. "Harry and Ginny were fine with Albus being gay, why did you think we'd be different?"

"Well, they have James to be a proper wizard to carry on the family name and all. You just have me," Scorpius explained.

His father nodded, thoughtfully. "I hadn't considered that. That certainly changes things."

Scorpius dropped his head but in a moment his father was clapping him on the shoulder, smiling widely. "I'm kidding. Come here," he pulled him into a hug. "We really are happy for you, Scor. Albus is a much better choice than the racist and the nag you dated before." Scorpius let out a small laugh, then a sigh of relief as he leaned his head against his father's chest.

When his father stepped back, he added with a smirk. "Now. Are you absolutely certain you don't want to wait until after school?"

* * *

** Albus Potter **

Albus was sitting on the couch at James's flat, waiting for his brother to finish getting ready. They were going to a pub that night to celebrate James's graduation from the first stage of Auror training.

"Can you stop preening?" Albus called. "I'm sure you look fine."

James appeared in the sitting room a few moments later and plopped down on the couch next to Albus.

"Why aren't you preening?" James asked. "You're the gay one."

"I've never been much of a preener." Albus cocked his head toward the clock on the wall. "Shouldn't we go? We're going to be late."

James smiled and looked over at him. "I'm supposed to be late. I'm the guest of honor. It will give everyone else a chance to arrive before me. Plus, everyone knows it's lame to arrive at parties on time."

Albus shook his head. "I missed that memo."

"They only handed it out to cool people," James teased. Albus shoved him.

"Anyway, how are you?" James asked, propping his legs up on the coffee table. "How's your last year of school?"

Albus shrugged. "Good."

"Just good? Anything else you want to tell me? Any new boyfriends maybe…who also happen to be your best mate, who you've been pining over for years?"

Albus looked over at him. How did he know about Scorpius? Albus had just told his parents earlier that day and he doubted they'd owled James straight away. Then, he realized where James had likely gotten this information. "Lily told you."

"It should have been _you_ ," James said, nudging his side. "This is a big deal."

Albus shrugged again. "Honestly, I didn't think it would last this long."

"So, it's going well?"

Albus nodded and couldn't help a small smile from creeping onto his face. "Well," was an understatement. It was incredible. But he tried not to think about it too much, not wanting to jinx it.

"So, Scorpius is gay?"

"No, not exactly," Albus said, still smiling. "He says he's straight except for me. I've learned to stop questioning it. He doesn't seem concerned about it, so I don't see why I should be."

"Well, even if he doesn't think he's gay, I'm sure the entire school does. How is he handling that?"

Albus dropped his smile. James knew, like him, how sensitive Scorpius could be about how he was perceived by others. Albus had been worried about how he would respond once the school started to figure out they were dating. It obviously bothered him, but every time Albus pressed him on it, Scorpius waved him off.

"I know it bothers him, but I think he's trying hard not to let it," Albus explained. "I asked him about it a few weeks ago and he said last year he was very popular, but didn't have me. And now he's less popular and has me, and prefers the latter." He leaned his head back on the couch and turned to find James smiling at him.

"How sappy. Maybe he is gay after all."

Albus smiled. "He is surprisingly sappy. The first time he said something like that, I was convinced he was you or Nira under Polyjuice, just playing a joke on me. But it was him," he added affectionately.

James nodded and his smile widened. "I'm happy for you, Albus. You look good, and this goofy I'm-in-love smile suits you," he said, poking Albus's cheek.

Albus pushed him away and looked back at the clock. "Yeah, yeah. Should we go now?"

James crossed his arms and looked affronted. "Is sitting here talking to me really that painful?"

"It does feel a little weird," Albus admitted. "I can't remember the last time we sat and talked about me."

"Ouch, Albus. That hurts my feelings. We're going to be talking about me all night, so we may as well get you out of the way now. What's going on with that new potion you're trying to brew? Dad tried to explain it to me the other day, but he was really confusing and I'm not sure he quite got it himself."

Albus was surprised this was what James wanted to talk about, but he shrugged and started in on an explanation of the invisibility potion he was trying to brew. He explained how he was trying a new method of charming the ingredients before brewing, to change the nature of how they worked in the final potion. He told James that he was sure he had the ingredients right and was just experimenting with different brewing methods now. Professor Knightly thought he was only a few weeks away from figuring it out, then they'd move on to testing the new brews.

"Are you sure you want to talk about this?" Albus asked in the middle of his explanation.

James nodded. "How do you test a new potion? Isn't it dangerous?"

Albus was impressed that he actually seemed interested, then went on to explain the method typically employed for testing new potions. It involved a complicated series of diagnostic spells to determine the nature of the magic in the potion. It required Runes and Arithmancy to read the output of the spells, so Professor Knightly had asked Professors Vector and Babbling to help, and they'd agreed. They were all excited to assist in the creation of a new potion, as it had been decades since a new potion had been invented from anyone at Hogwarts.

"That's really impressive," James said, earnestly. "You just came up with that idea to spell the ingredients on your own?"

"It popped into my mind one day. If it works, it will open up a whole new area of advanced potion making."

"That is so cool."

"I don't know if 'cool' is the right word," Albus said. "But yeah, I'm excited about it."

"So, what happens after school for you? Where do you want to go to study for your potions mastery?"

Albus looked down at his lap. This was one decision he was struggling with.

"What is it?" James asked, noticing Albus's change in mood. "I assume you'll get into whatever program you want. Especially if you can figure that new potion out before you graduate."

Albus nodded. "There is this one program I really want to do and Professor Knightly thinks I can get in. It involves traveling around Europe for two years, while studying with all the top Potions masters. That way I can get a lot of different perspectives on the subject while visiting amazing places."

"That sounds incredible. What's wrong? Are you worried you won't get in? Oh...wait. This is about Scorpius, isn't it?"

Albus looked away from James. He knew Albus too well. "There's no job that allows you to move countries every few months. And Scorpius hasn't been killing himself in Quidditch and taking more N.E.W.T.s classes than anyone else, just to give it all up and follow me around."

"So what? You're not going to go for it? No Al, don't do that!" James said, insistently. "You did this all growing up; put Scorpius ahead of yourself. It's your turn now. And it's just a few years, you'll be fine. You can see each other at the weekends, then before you know it, it'll be over and you can move back here and continue onto the next step in becoming a potions genius - whatever that is."

"Yeah, you're right," Albus said quickly, then stood up. "It has to be time to go now, right?"

James was studying him, then he stood up and joined Albus. "Sure, we can go. But first, promise me you'll apply for this program. And if you get in, you'll go."

James crossed his arms and waited for Albus to respond. Albus bit his lip, then after a time, he nodded. He knew James was right. He couldn't always put Scorpius first. He didn't even think Scorpius wanted that. If he and Scorpius were really meant to be together, they'd be able to figure it out.

"Yeah, I promise," he said to James. "Let's go. I could use a drink."

* * *

Albus had fun that night with James and the younger Aurors. They were an entertaining group, but Albus still found his mind drifting back to thoughts of Scorpius and the international potions program. He really needed to talk to Scorpius about it and had put it off for too long already.

James kept forcing shots of Fire Whiskey on Albus in an effort to cheer him up and by the end of the night, Albus's head was very fuzzy, but he felt lighter. Albus was watching James flirt, unsuccessfully, with one of the other Aurors in training - a pretty, dark-haired witch with brilliant purple eyes. Albus smiled to himself when he saw the witch roll her eyes at whatever James had just said.

Good, Albus thought to himself, this was the exact type of witch James needed in his life. Someone who would challenge him and not accept his bullshit.

When it was time to go, Albus declined James's invitation to sleep at his flat and apparated straight into Scorpius's bedroom, instead. Scorpius was in bed, sleeping, and shot up at the sound of apparition.

"Albus, is that you?" he said, after swearing loudly and soon he was shining a bright wand in Albus's face. Albus held his hand up, blinded by the light. He made his way toward the bed but tripped on something and fell over.

The next moment, Scorpius was at his side pulling him up. "You smell like a bottle of Fire Whiskey."

"I did drink Fire Whiskey," Albus said thoughtfully, "but it was delivered to me in shots. I think I had like four, or six, or maybe eight. Not a whole bottle though," he said confidently.

"What are you doing here? And why did you apparate? You know better than to do that drunk, that's how people get splinched," Scorpius scolded as he pushed Albus into a sitting position on the edge of the bed before taking the spot next to him.

Now that Albus was still, he noticed how much his head was spinning. He closed his eyes. "I need to talk to you."

"Now?" Scorpius asked, nudging Albus's side. Albus looked over and saw he was holding a glass of water. He drained it quickly and Scorpius took it back and refilled it for him.

"I think saying what I need to tell you will be easier while drunk," Albus said, focusing on the water glass in Scorpius's hand.

"Oh," Scorpius sounded concerned, then put the water on the nightstand before turning to face Albus. "Okay. Tell me."

"There's a program I want to do, after school, for potions. It involves traveling around Europe for two years, going to a new country every few months. I really want to do it, and I think I can get in."

"Oh, I see," Scorpius said carefully. He turned back to face the window and Albus could tell he was thinking hard. Albus shifted closer to Scorpius and propped his chin on his shoulder.

"I just- I don't know, Scor." Albus started to whisper, but he couldn't decide what to say. His brain wasn't working properly.

Scorpius turned his head to look at him and smiled, then he wrapped both of his arms around Albus and pulled him into his chest. "What don't you know? I'm sure you'll get in and you'll do great."

Albus nodded and laid his head against Scorpius's chest, listening to his heart beat and relishing the warm feeling of being in his arms. His first thought was that Scorpius smelled good. His second thought was that he didn't seem upset, like Albus had feared, but supportive. Albus had been worrying about nothing and should have told Scorpius from the start.

"Do you have the Agrippa card?" Scorpius asked.

Albus shook his head. "Not on me. Why?"

"Well, you should carry it around until you finish your application for this program, but then you need to give it to me."

Albus sat back up and looked at Scorpius questioningly. He was smirking to himself. "What do you need it for?" Albus asked.

Scorpius pushed the hair out of Albus's face, then started playing with the collar of his shirt. "When you get into this program, I'm going with you, obviously, and I'll need the card for when I tell my parents."

"No!" Albus leaned back quickly, out of Scorpius's grasp, but almost fell off the bed, catching himself with hands just in time. Scorpius snorted, but Albus ignored him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Scor. You've been wanting to do something great since even before school. But you're just going to give that up to follow me? You'll just come to...what's the word?" He trailed off, willing his brain to work quicker. He needed Scorpius to understand. "Resent! You'll resent me," he repeated. "And I won't allow it."

"You won't allow it?" Scorpius asked, clearly amused. "I thought I was the bossy one." He sighed, then climbed back under the covers. "We can talk more about this when you're not struggling with words so much. Come on. Time to sleep. And turn off the lamp over there," he said, motioning toward the nightstand on the other side of the bed.

"See, you're still the bossy one," Albus grumbled as he slowly made his way around the bed and clicked the lamp off before joining Scorpius.

"I know I am," Scorpius said once Albus was under the covers. He turned on his side to face Albus and snaked his arm around his waist. "How dare you try to take that from me," he muttered, placing a kiss on Albus's shoulder. "I'm so glad you came over. I hate sleeping without you," he sighed as he laid his head back on his pillow, keeping his arm on Albus.

Albus huffed. Scorpius might be finished with their argument, but he wasn't. "You're not coming with me," he said insistently, watching the patterns the moonlight was making on the ceiling.

"I've already decided. But if you really want, I'll let you try to change my mind, later. Not now, though."

He'd already decided? Scorpius took forever to make decisions. Especially big ones like this. He still hadn't decided if he was gay yet. This must be a record.

Albus turned his head toward Scorpius and saw his eyes were already closed. "You can't give everything up for me," Albus told him.

Scorpius kept his eyes closed, but Albus saw his lips turn up slightly. "Without you, everything feels like nothing. Now shut up. I'm trying to sleep."

Albus puzzled through that, not sure what it meant. He wondered if he was struggling because the statement was confusing, or because he was drunk. He fell asleep before he could figure it out.

* * *

_Easter Break, Seventh Year_

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

Before Albus had told Scorpius about his plan to travel the continent studying Potions after graduating, Scorpius had been having fun playing out all the possible ways he could start his after-school career. His favorite option had been the one where he played Quidditch professionally for a few years, then settled down into a more respectable job. He knew it would be easy to get a job after playing, since Quidditch stars were well regarded in their country.

He was also toying with the idea of working with his grandfather or even Blaise for a few years, since he found politics very interesting, but didn't necessarily want to work at the Ministry. That would feel a bit like working for his mum, even though she'd be several levels above him.

All the options, however, required Scorpius to be in the country. As soon as Albus told Scorpius he was planning to travel after school, Scorpius knew immediately he was going with him. It hadn't been a hard decision at all. Scorpius had played out the scenario where he stayed behind and Albus left very quickly in his head, and knew immediately, it wouldn't work.

He didn't think they'd break up. He knew they were strong enough to survive a long-distance relationship, especially since they had the magic to see each other often. It was himself he was worried about. Scorpius had gotten a taste the year before, of what his life was like without Albus, and that was even before he'd gotten more attached to Albus once they'd started dating.

Without Albus, Scorpius felt lost, and depressed, and was constantly unsure of himself. Albus thought he was making this big, magnanimous decision by choosing to go with him, but in reality, Scorpius's decision was purely selfish. He didn't like who he was without Albus. And he'd rather be unemployed and happy, than in England, kick-starting an illustrious career, and alone.

The first morning of the Easter Break, Scorpius slept in. He'd had an exhausting week of non-stop Quidditch practices and early revising for N.E.W.T. exams. Albus had already gone back to his house so he could carry on the ruse for their parents that he still slept in his own room, though Scorpius suspected they already knew.

Albus had left a note on the pillow. Scorpius sat up and stretched, then read the note. It was short and sweet.

_Good luck. I love you._

_-A_

Scorpius took a deep breath and got dressed, then slipped the note in his pocket, next to the chocolate frog card. He was telling his parents that he'd be spending the next two years following Albus around Europe, as he studied potions, instead of getting a proper job.

"How is Albus?" his mum asked, as Scorpius walked into the kitchen. Rose snorted from her spot at the counter before taking a sip from a large mug of tea. Well, that answered the question of whether they knew Albus spent his nights there.

"I don't know," Scorpius said, thinking how this was technically true since he hadn't spoken to Albus this morning. His mum and his father shared a smirk, but Scorpius ignored it. He was trying to figure out how to start.

Eventually, he sighed heavily, then said carefully, "I was sort of meaning to talk to you about Albus."

"Oh? What's going on?" his mum asked as she took a bite of her eggs.

"I told you in my last letter about that program he was accepted into," Scorpius continued.

"Yes. That's excellent," his mum replied. "Have you thought more about your own plans for after school?"

"I'm going with him," Scorpius said quickly, then braced for her reaction.

"What?" she asked, dropping her fork.

Everyone else was silent and Scorpius's father shifted closer to his mum.

"What sort of job can you do while traveling around like that?" his mum asked, and Scorpius would tell she was trying to stay calm.

"Uh, no job, I assume. I'm going to take the two years off. But, well, I'll do odd jobs, to pass the time, if I can get them." Scorpius said in a rush, then looked down when he saw the anger building in his mum's eyes.

Everyone was silent again, then Rose got up to leave, whispering to Scorpius on her way out, "Good luck."

"No," his mum said curtly, before focusing back on her breakfast.

Scorpius took a deep breath, then met her eyes, trying to speak as politely as possible. "It's not your decision, Mum. But I- I know why you're upset. And I'm sorry."

"What has all your hard work been for?" she asked. "You're Head Boy, top of your class, Quidditch Captain, and about to earn more N.E.W.T.s than anyone in your year. And you're saying you're going to give it all up?"

"The N.E.W.T.s don't expire, they'll be there when I get back. Then I can apply for a proper job," Scorpius argued.

"And all the hiring managers will see that you did nothing for two years and think you're a flake. Even being a Quidditch player for a few years is okay. But doing _nothing_?"

They glared at each other, then his father placed a hand on his mum's arm. She seemed to snap out of her anger and her expression softened. She walked to Scorpius and stroked his cheek with the back of her hand.

"I know you love Albus and have never had to spend much time away from him, but you two will be fine," she said gently. "You can see each other every weekend. I'll work out the Portkeys myself."

Scorpius shook his head and she dropped her hand. He knew just seeing Albus at the weekends wouldn't be enough. He needed to go to bed next to him, and wake up next to him, and ask about his day and just, be in the same city with him, all the time. He didn't know how to explain this to his mum, since it was more of a desperate feeling than anything he could put proper words to.

"I can get you one of those two-way mirrors," she continued, "so you can even talk all day. You can keep it active every second. We live in a magical world, anything's possible."

Scorpius looked down again. She didn't understand. Then his father spoke up. "It's not uncommon for kids to take a few years off, Hermione. It took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to do, too. And Scorpius can finally use all those foreign languages my parents forced him to learn."

Scorpius gave his father an appreciative smile while his mum rolled her eyes and sighed. "Are you kidding me, Draco? You're going to be the good parent and make me look like the bad guy? It wasn't the same. You were trying to move past a war. Scorpius has had nothing but privilege his whole life and the last thing I want, is for him to live off his money while-"

"It's not like that," Scorpius cut in. "I'm not just doing this because I'm lazy. I just - Mum, please - I don't feel like myself when I'm away from Albus. I know we can talk and see each other every so often, but it won't be the same. I need to be there with him. I just - I need him. Without him…I'm nothing."

He was a little embarrassed to admit this to his parents, since he wanted them to think of him as strong and capable, but he was those things, when he was with Albus. He looked down and she lifted his chin. "I understand that feeling more than you know." She turned to his father, who was smiling at her.

She sighed, then asked Scorpius, "If I can find you work, will you be open to it?"

"Yes. Of course," he replied.

She nodded. "Send me the schedule. I'll see what I can do."

Scorpius nearly skipped out of the kitchen, not wanting to linger and have her change her mind. Once he got to the hall, he heard his mum say to his father, "Thank you for being completely unhelpful."

"I seem to remember a time you took months off of work, just to spend time with me," his father replied.

Scorpius stopped in place. What? He couldn't imagine his mum not working.

"That was different," she muttered.

"Hmm, was it?" his father said, then Scorpius heard him kiss her and turned back toward the stairs, eager to go find Albus.

* * *

** Albus Potter **

Albus was laying under a tree with his hands behind his head, watching the patterns of the leaves move across the sky. He knew Scorpius was telling his parents about his plans to give everything up to join him on his potions rotation right now. Albus had tried to change his mind about this countless times, but Scorpius was determined, and deep down, Albus was thrilled he was coming with him. He just hoped Scorpius wouldn't come to resent him for it, later.

A familiar shadow came across Albus's line of sight and his heart leapt. Even after knowing Scorpius his whole life and dating him for almost a year, the sight of him exhilarated Albus.

"What are you doing?" Scorpius asked.

Albus smiled, "Nothing."

This had been a running joke between them for years. Scorpius couldn't understand how Albus could sit and do nothing, and Albus couldn't understand why Scorpius was always on the move, never idle.

Scorpius laid down next to him and Albus turned his head to face him. "How did it go?"

Scorpius sighed. "My mum was harsh, but my father stepped in and calmed her down."

"They seem to take turns. I wonder if they have a schedule." Albus's parents didn't have a rotation like that. It was always his mum who was harsh and his dad who was the calm one.

"Well, she agreed in the end," Scorpius sighed. "She said she'd try to find me work, and I'm obviously fine with that."

Albus removed one of his arms from behind his head and took Scorpius's hand, linking their fingers together. Scorpius looked at their clasped hands for a while, then smiled. "Do you want to know what I said to convince her?"

Albus hummed in response, looking back up at the leaves above them.

"I told her I don't feel right, like I'm not myself, when I'm away from you." Scorpius pulled their clasped hands up to his mouth and placed a soft kiss on Albus's knuckles.

Albus turned to look at him, beamingly widely. "Very sappy, Scor. I think you may be gay after all."

This was another running joke between them. Scorpius still hadn't committed to being gay or bisexual, despite the fact that he was in a serious relationship with a wizard, and Albus teased him endlessly about it.

Scorpius smiled as he looked up at the tree and said simply, "I'm still not gay. I don't find other blokes attractive."

"Do you find other witches attractive?"

Scorpius thought about it, then he turned to Albus and propped himself up on his arm. "No," he said, smiling down at Albus. "Just this perpetually messy hair," he said as he raked his fingers through it. "Those brilliant green eyes, and this dimple here," he poked Albus's cheek and Albus pushed his hand away, laughing.

"Just one dimple, on the right side," Scorpius continued, thoughtfully. "It defies all logic. I'll have to tell Nira she was wrong when she said your face was symmetrical."

Albus shifted closer to Scorpius and began tracing his fingers along the arm Scorpius was propped up on. "It's so kind of you to love me despite this flaw," Albus teased.

Scorpius nodded and his expression turned serious. "I do, Albus. Love you. Like...a lot. So much that when I sit and think about it, I feel sick."

Albus snaked his arms around Scorpius and pushed him back down, laying his head on his chest. "Lovely sentiment, Scor. I feel exactly the same way."

* * *

_Two Years Later_

* * *

** Scorpius Malfoy **

Scorpius was tying his tie when he saw a grey owl pecking at the window. He let it in and gave it a bite of an old croissant that was sitting on the table before sending it away. He levitated the plate with the croissant into the kitchen, as he sighed.

Scorpius hadn't realized how messy Albus really was, until after school, since at Hogwarts, the house elves had always cleaned up after them. Scorpius had hoped, after living with him for a few years, Albus would have picked up some better habits, but that hadn't been the case. Scorpius didn't mind very much, though. He liked noticing Albus's flaws, since it made him feel better about his own.

Scorpius looked down at the two letters the owl had delivered. The first was addressed to Albus and Scorpius recognized Uncle Ron's handwriting. It was probably another plea for Albus to give the recipe for his most recent Occlumency potion over to the Auror office.

The potion made it easy for anyone who took it, whether they were an accomplished Occlumens or not, to protect their mind against intruders. Currently, a number of private companies had reached out to Albus and offered giant sums of money for exclusive access to his recipe for the potion. The Auror office also wanted it and didn't want it released to the public, for obvious reasons, but couldn't offer Albus much money.

The second letter was addressed to both of them. Scorpius opened it and smiled as he read it. There was a sealed note included with the letter. Once Scorpius finished the outside letter, he tossed it on the table and took the sealed note into the bedroom.

Albus was sprawled across the bed, fast asleep. Scorpius saw he was smiling, like he usually did in his sleep, and paused to watch him. He was absolutely adorable. Scorpius knew he should let Albus sleep. He'd been up late all week, revising for the exams he'd need to pass to move on to his next level of study for his potions mastery, but Scorpius thought Albus would want to see this letter. Also, Scorpius couldn't resist seeing him before he went to work.

Scorpius climbed onto bed and sat with his legs stretched in front of him, then he reached over and started stroking Albus's hair. "Hey, sleepyhead, wake up," he whispered.

"No," Albus groaned, pulling the covers over his head.

"Come on, I have a letter I think you'll enjoy. I'll read it to you."

"Fine," Albus mumbled from under the covers. "Go ahead, I'm listening. Then you can leave and let me sleep."

"Come here."

Albus pulled the blanket off his head and grumbled about bossy boyfriends as he picked up his pillow and placed it in Scorpius's lap before laying back down. Scorpius started stroking his hair again. "I've always thought you were so nice, but the morning seems to be the exception. I don't remember this from school," Scorpius said.

"I didn't have a choice about sleeping in during school," Albus groaned. "Plus, there was always an amazing breakfast to look forward to. You're not offering a full breakfast...just a letter."

"I think it will be a good one," Scorpius said, waving it above Albus's head. "It's from Nira. She said it's some big theory about you and me that she came up with the summer after our sixth year. She said she wrote it down at the time, then forgot about it, until now."

Albus turned so he was facing up and Scorpius saw he was smiling, suddenly interested. "I remember that. We were hanging out in her room and she wrote it all out. It was a few days before you declared your love for me."

"You never told me about this."

Albus shrugged. "We were too busy snogging that summer."

"True," Scorpius said, thoughtfully, as he opened the letter. It was titled: _Nira's Theory_ and included a date from almost three years before.

" _Is Scorpius gay?"_ Scorpius started to read, then paused, looking down at Albus. "You thought I was gay? Even then?"

"I didn't," Albus explained, "but Nira said the adults were talking about it, since you spoke with Theo and Bennett that Christmas."

Scorpius snorted, remembering his parents' wager about Albus and him.

"I told Nira I was sure you weren't gay, but she wouldn't tell me what she thought. She said she had a theory about it all and instead of telling me, she wrote it down," he motioned toward the note in Scorpius's hand.

Scorpius nodded and turned back to the letter. " _Is Scorpius gay? I personally don't think the label matters. When it comes to Scorpius and Albus, there's only one label that matters, and that's 'soulmate,' because I believe that's what they are. My theory is that whether or not Scorpius is gay, they'll make their way to each other soon enough, because they are meant to be together."_

Scorpius looked down at Albus and they shared a smile before Scorpius turned back to the note and continued reading.

" _Albus wants to know when this fight between Scorpius and him will be over and my prediction is soon. I mean, I really hope so, since being the intermediary is exhausting. Also, we all think Scorpius is going to be Head Boy next year, and how convenient would it be to have a Head Boy dormitory you can share with your new boyfriend? *I'm wiggling my eyebrows suggestively while writing this.*_

"She got that right," Albus interrupted, tickling Scorpius on the inside of his thigh.

Scorpius laughed and pushed his hand out of the way. "Stop, there's a little more."

He turned back to the letter. " _So, to sum it up, Scorpius may or may not be gay, but it doesn't matter because he loves Albus and will end up with him. And once it happens, they'll be together forever. (They're soulmates after all). But what will happen to Nira when they ride off into the sunset together? She'll be fine. She's always been the more independent one out of the second generation of the golden trio, anyway."_

Scorpius folded the note and placed it on the nightstand. He looked down at Albus and saw him beaming up at him. "She got it all nearly perfect. Even the bit about us going away somewhere together."

"Well, we didn't ride into the sunset, but left by Portkey in the morning. But I guess it's close enough…" his voice trailed off.

Scorpius bit his lip. "Do you think we're soulmates?" He tried to keep his tone light, not wanting Albus to know how interested he was in his response.

Albus shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Sure we are. We wouldn't have managed that agape love magic if we weren't, right?"

Scorpius tried to keep from rolling his eyes. Only Albus could be so blasé while talking about something as heavy as soulmates. "Yeah, you're probably right," Scorpius responded. "Anyway, was it worth waking you up? You can go back to sleep once I leave."

Albus nodded. "That was a wonderful way to wake up. I mean, not as wonderful as the way you woke me up a few da-"

Scorpius pushed Albus off him before he could finish his statement, getting to his feet. "What am I always telling you about being crass?"

Albus sat up on his knees and gave Scorpius a playful smile as he linked his hands behind his neck. "I don't know how to stop. I didn't have all those etiquette lessons growing up like you did." Albus leaned in and grazed Scorpius's neck with his teeth, making him shudder.

Scorpius took a deep breath and stepped out of his grasp. He wanted to stay here with Albus all day, but really should be going to work.

"Oh, there's another letter from Uncle Ron. I left it on the table by the window."

Albus sighed and laid back on the bed. "It's probably about that Occlumency potion again. I handed that recipe over to my dad weeks ago and promised I wouldn't sell it to anyone else. I think he must be playing a prank on Uncle Ron. As if I'd take the money," he added as he turned his head to grin at Scorpius. "I don't need it. I have an incredibly rich boyfriend who can buy me whatever I want."

Scorpius crossed his arms. "I knew you were just with me for my money."

"And your body," Albus added with a wink.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Yes, that too." He had to force himself to walk to the door, since leaving Albus right now was the last thing he wanted to do. "I really do need to go to work, you know, so I can run around and get people coffee for no money, but feel like I'm doing something while you revolutionize the world of Potions."

Albus's face fell. "Scor. I'm sorry. You-"

"I'm kidding," Scorpius cut in before Albus could finish his statement. "You know I secretly like it." It was true. His mum had secured him assistant jobs at all the Magical Ministries they'd visited. The jobs themselves were not exciting, but he got to meet the heads of all the major ministries in Europe and see how each the different country was run.

He'd already accepted a job in the Department of International Cooperation that would start once he got back to London, and knew everything he'd learned during the past two years would be invaluable.

Scorpius popped his head back into the bedroom, remembering something. Albus was settling back into the bed, probably planning to go back to sleep. "When you decide to wake up, can you clean up? My parents are coming in for the weekend and I told them we'd make dinner for them here. Which means I need you to cook, too. Or pick something up and make it look like we cooked it."

"Yes, my Lord," Albus sighed, "I will take care of it." Scorpius rolled his eyes. "I'm excited to finally hear the end of their story," Albus added. "It was just getting good, since I had finally entered the picture."

Scorpius snorted. "Yeah, and you were such an ugly baby, you made my father cry."

Albus stuck his tongue out and Scorpius turned to leave before Albus called him back.

"I really do need to go," Scorpius said insistently.

"Am I allowed to hand out orders, or is that just your thing?" Albus asked and Scorpius ignored the jibe and waved for him to continue. "There's a letter on the desk for James, can you drop it by the post today?"

Scorpius nodded and left the room. He grabbed Albus's letter from the table and went to get his outer robe from the closet.

"I love you!" Albus called from the other room.

"Love you too. See you later."

During their time in Rome, Scorpius and Albus were renting a flat above a shop along one of the city's magical streets. It was a great location, since the Italian Ministry was just a short walk up the road and Scorpius could get there without having to venture into the Muggle world.

As he walked down the street, he checked Albus's letter to James to make sure he'd finished it. Albus normally had an incredible memory, but tended to get absent-minded when he was revising heavily, like he had been lately. Scorpius guessed his brain was filled with potions knowledge, leaving little room for anything else.

The letter looked complete and Scorpius was about to seal it when he saw his name and couldn't help but scan the letter more thoroughly. He knew it was wrong to read his boyfriend's mail, but couldn't help himself. If Albus wanted to keep it a secret, he should have sealed it.

Scorpius skipped over the first part where Albus had described their recent trip to the south of Italy. Near the end, Albus was responding to an earlier letter from James where he'd said he and his girlfriend, one of the Aurors he worked with, were having some bad rows. Scorpius read this next part, slowly, as he walked down the street.

_I'm really sorry to hear you two are having trouble. Believe me, I've been there, in a broken relationship, fearing you'll never be able to get it back to the way it was._

_But I think strong relationships don't break in the way objects do, like a shattered vase with pieces that never quite fit back together - even with the best repairing spell, you can see the cracks._

_I think relationships break the way things in nature do. Like how clouds open up to reveal a ray of sunshine, how a seed cracks when a new plant bursts through, or even a fever at the end of an illness. They break to reveal better things. It's sappy, I know. Scorpius must be rubbing off on me._

_I guess my point is, the breaking part sucks, but the part that comes next is incredible, at least that's how it worked for us. I'm happier now than I ever imagined possible._

_You can take this all with a grain of salt, though. I've only ever been in one relationship, but I have a feeling it will be the only one for me._

Scorpius took a deep breath, then sealed the letter before letting himself into the Post Office. He'd been trying to get a sense of how serious Albus was about their relationship for a few months now. But all his attempts to get Albus to say anything meaningful had gone like earlier, when Scorpius had asked about soulmates, and Albus had brushed it off.

Albus had made his feelings clear in this letter, though. Scorpius's mind drifted to the proposal he'd been planning for weeks. All that was left was a quick check with his mum that the "family rule" about not getting engaged before the age of 22, was no longer in effect.

 _Good Albus,_ Scorpius thought to himself as he waited in line, unable to keep a smile from playing across his face. _I'm glad you feel that way about us, because this is certainly the last relationship for me, too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The end! I meant to post this tomorrow, then finished editing today and knew you all wouldn't mind reading it earlier than planned. Thanks to everyone who joined me for this story. I thought it was super fun and gave me a chance to try a slightly different style of writing and I got to work with a pairing I previously knew nothing about. Thanks as always to my betas, Lancashire Witch and Kimmeh B.
> 
> Writing this Scorbus story with a little bit of Dramione just made me want to write a Dramione story with a little bit of Scorbus, where Draco and Hermione get together after their kids are grown. I started outlining it, but that's not going to be what I write next.
> 
> My next story is going to be a wartime story where Voldemort is still at large. The pairings will be Draco/Ginny and Harry/Hermione. I already have the first few chapters of this story drafted and sent off to my betas and should start posting it here in about a month.
> 
> Come see me on Tumblr at Alexandra-Emerson in the meantime. Thanks so much for reading!


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